WA frozen on chilled beef

WA meat processors remain cut out of a slice of the chilled beef market, said to be worth tens of millions of dollars a year to the local industry.

China had suspended access for chilled beef from Australia in September 2013 because of concerns over Australian abattoir standards.

Since the ban, Australian trade authorities and industry representatives have managed to convince Chinese authorities about Australia's chilled beef and lamb processes and a six-month trial was initiated with 10 Eastern States abbatoirs.

The eligible plants include seven in Queensland, two in NSW and one in Victoria.

For the nine months of 2013 before the discontinuation, Eastern States processors shipped more than 12,200 tonnes of chilled beef to China.

WAFarmers president Dale Park said he had made representations on behalf of the State's industry to Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce asking why WA abattoirs had been overlooked.

"We have some of the finest livestock and livestock processing facilities in the country here in WA," he said.

"WA has the largest herd of hormone growth promotant-free cattle in the nation.

"Unlike the other States, we are predominantly an export market supplying places like Egypt and Indonesia that all want HGP-free meat."

Mr Park said it was obvious the trial had been setup to be "Eastern-States-centric."

_"It's interesting that WA has the cattle that best fits the China market criteria and yet we continue to be ignored," he said. _

_"In the case of the State's two biggest abattoirs Harvey Beef and V&V Walsh, both have process a high quality product that loses some of its quality when it is frozen. Both processors have invested a lot of time and marketing in the high quality aspect of the WA product which can capitalise on the growing Asian appetite for premium cuts." _

_Pinjarra cattle farmer Leigh McLarty said meatworks like Harvey Beef should have the opportunity to supply chilled beef to China. _

_He said he believed the Federal Government and Meat and Livestock Australia had done a good job in establishing new markets for beef products, but cautioned it was critical the entire industry had the same opportunities in the chilled beef market. _

_Mr McLarty sells a proportion of his herd each year to Harvey Beef. _

_"Getting chilled beef from WA into the Chinese market is something that will need to be sorted out in the near future," he said. _

_"We need to support the abattoirs to make sure they remain viable because we can't grow the industry without them in the State." _

_Mr McLarty welcomed the Federal Government's free trade deal with China. _

_"The beef market has gone through a tough time over the last few years, and the live shipping got knocked over in 2010 because of the Government interference that had disastrous effects on the industry, particularly for producers in Australia's north," he said. _

_"We've got to take every opportunity we can and only time will tell as to what effect the Chinese beef trade will have, but all indicators are showing it will be positive, and any competition is good co _mpetition."