Tasmanians urged to buy local beef following Woolworths pulling out of state

Tasmanian beef should be raised here, processed here and sold here.

As far as Launceston chef Massimo Mele is concerned there’s no other way to slice it.

His sentiments, expressed on social media, are being echoed by beef farmers and consumers around the state who were gutted by the announcement from Woolworths that it will stop sourcing and selling Tasmanian beef across its entire supermarket network from early 2027.

The corporate giant has decided to end its long-standing service kill contract with the JBS Longford abattoir, explaining that skyrocketing freight costs and double-handling across Bass Strait makes the process commercially unsustainable for what is one percent of its beef supply.

Woolworths currently routes roughly 80 head of cattle per week through JBS, which are 

slaughtered and carcasses shipped to Victoria for packaging, before the finished meat products are shipped back to Tasmania to sell.

“Over the past 10 financial years, Woolworths has reported almost $21 billion in net profit after tax,” Mr Mele said.

“Coles has reported another $9.5 billion across the nine comparable years available - more than $30 billion in published profits.

“I have no issue with businesses making money. We all need to make a profit to survive.

“But something is seriously wrong when supermarkets are making billions while farmers are being told their product is too expensive, producers are being squeezed and Tasmanian beef is being pushed aside for beef shipped across Bass Strait.”

Mr Mele, who runs Grain of the Silos restaurant in Launceston, buys beef grown nearby at Summerlea Farm at North Lilydale.

“This is bigger than beef. It is about Tasmania’s food security, regional jobs and whether the next generation will even be able to afford to keep farming,” he said.

“Once we dismantle our local food system, we may never get it back.”

He noted that supermarkets used to buy whole carcasses and break them down right in the stores - a practice that, if brought back, he believes would easily allow them to sell 100 percent Tasmanian beef, lamb, and pork at reasonable prices.

Meanwhile the state’s butcher shops are reporting an uptick in customers, with some traditional supermarket buyers jumping ship in protest.

Riverside Quality Meats owner Leigh Sands said he likes to buy the best beef available and that means Tasmanian.

“We are directly over the road from Woolies so it’s easy for people to make a choice and we’ve been pleased to welcome some new faces this week,” he said.

Paddock to plate operators are also experiencing a surge in sales.

Barnett Angus at Westbury in May launched its new retail business Valley Meats for sales direct to the public.

The monthly meat subscription service delivers direct to the door in the north of the state and the Woolworths backlash has provided an unexpected boost.

“We were looking to make quality beef, backed by genetics selected for consistency, flavour and eating quality, easier for people to access,” owner Mark Barnett said.

“We charge $260 for a 10kg box and sell up to 60 boxes each run, but now the next two runs have sold out in advance and it looks like it will be the same right into the new year - demand has just gone through the roof!”

“We’ve invested heavily in high marbling genetics and it's difficult to get that plus high growth but we’ve got some unique cows that allow us to do that.

“By developing a close relationship with our customers the feedback helps us with our breeding program.

Daniel and Ella Kelleher at Premaydena Hill wish they had more beef to sell as they experience the biggest rush on product since the Covid pandemic.

“It’s just ridiculous - we’ve sold out of everything and orders, normally only a month in advance, have pushed out to next year,” Ella said.

Daniel said that they have about 80 to 100 black Angus on the farm which produce 160-200 sides of beef per year.

“I know it’s convenient to grab meat at the supermarket sometimes but I think this latest announcement has made people think about how much of their food is coming from elsewhere and they say they prefer to eat local produce,” Daniel said.

“Once they realise it’s not hard to buy direct and it’s better value - they keep coming back and I know that they value that relationship with the farmer.”