THERE'S no doubt pastoralists in the north of the State have felt the sting from having their main live export market virtually removed when Indonesia introduced strict conditions on the trade, but the situation also highlighted the dire need for those producers to have another marketing option for their cattle.
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It's something the North Australia Beef Research Council (NABRC) is acutely aware of, and chairman, Ralph Shannon, said members were hurting right across the north of the country, not just in WA.
The NABRC recently met in the Kimberley, with one of the hot items on the agenda being the newly released pre-feasibility study for an abattoir in the North West.
Mr Shannon said the report was brought to the council's attention at the meeting by local pastoralist and WA Beef Council member, Kurt Elezovich, and had the potential to have a big impact on pastoralists in the area.
But he said they discussed in more detail the current proposal to build an abattoir in Darwin, which he believed could hold more promise.
"One might argue there is more likelihood of getting a meatworks built in Darwin than there is of getting one built in Broome," Mr Shannon said.
"Any meatworks in the north would be of use to these producers and they are all in the position where they are dependent on the live export market to Indonesia, so any other market opportunity, especially one that gives them the capacity to sell the out of spec animals is obviously going to be of great benefit.
"I'm just trying to encourage the WA producers to be aware of what is happening in Darwin, and if the Broome opportunity doesn't come forward then to have a go at getting the Darwin one up."
Mr Elezovich, Country Downs station, via Broome, disagreed with Mr Shannon and said he thought Broome was a more likely option given its central location for drawing cattle, as well as sustaining a workforce.
He said pastoralists were facing very challenging conditions and everybody was under pressure, but he was hoping for a solution for the long-term sustainability of the industry.
Whether or not the establishment of an abattoir in Broome would provide that solution is anybody's guess, but Mr Elezovich said the fact it was being explored as a viable option gave him hope.
"We can't keep depending on their being a market in Indonesia, let alone what the specifications will be," Mr Elezovich said.
"We need to look for options for the future of the beef industry up here, and I really think we have to consider every alternative."
Mr Elezovich said another option that was currently being considered to help northern cattle producing was the possibility of upgrading the Tanami Road.
"Basically, we need to look at our geographic isolation and see how some way or another we can get ourselves some proximity to a market," he said.
"Whether that is by linking us with the east or getting processing up and running in the area again."
Mr Elezovich said the area had once sustained three abattoirs, so in his opinion it was quite capable of sustaining one.
It would, however, require significant changes to traditional cattle production in the north, but he said it was something he was confident that the area would be able to adjust to.
"For the beef industry to have a strong future, we have to be adaptable to market conditions," he said.
"I really don't think there is much future for the industry if people just think all they can do is keep producing what they've been producing for the last 20 years with no real changes.
"We've got to look to where the market is and market our product accordingly."
