AFTER two years of planning, the Red Meat Action Group (RMAG) launched the concept plan for its proposed red meat precinct at a function in Bunbury on Friday.

It included an artist’s impression of the precinct, which group members hope will be located in the Donny-brook, Collie or Capel area.

It would include facilities such as a service kill abattoir, hides plant, tallow/biofuel plant, feedlot, effluent disposal and saleyards.

Although Donnybrook is closer to more beef cattle producers, Collie may have a stronger claim to the jobs-creating developmnent. It already has a strong industrial sector with good roads and rail and a nearby port.

The planned development of the Shotts Industrial Park outside Collie is likely to strengthen its bid.

The multi-billion-dollar Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers urea plant in likely to be the Shotts Park’s first tenant.

But the abbattoir and its associated industry would be a good fit.

RMAG chair Gary Buller said it was quite an achievement for the group — especially after two years of hard work and talks with lotfeeders, processors, the Agriculture and Food Department, consultants, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and of course, producers.

The precinct idea was the result of the beef crisis meeting held in 2007, at which attendees identified nine key initiatives which needed action.

One was to explore the development of a new service kill export abattoir. “One of the things to come from all our research and discussion was the realisation that WA leads the nation in inefficient processing plants,” Mr Buller said.

“That is the reason why producers in the east get 25-50 cents per kilogram more than WA producers and why processors in the east can still afford to sell meat for less than WA.”

When all the areas of the precinct were connected, Mr Buller said each complemented the other in terms of efficiency.