Beef & Livestock

As a major hub for cattle trading, Rockhampton is serviced by Central Queensland Livestock Exchange (CQLX), major stock agents and specialised rural banks. CQLX is situated only eight kilometres from Rockhampton City on the Capricorn Highway near Gracemere and is the largest stud selling complex in the Southern Hemisphere. The facility is one of Queensland’s top selling venues, with weekly commercial cattle sales and the capacity to sell up to 4,000 head of cattle per event. 

The Rockhampton region is serviced by two export focused abattoirs, which are easily accessed by rail, road or a combination of both.

• Teys Australia has a processing capacity of around 1,700 head per day and remains Australia’s largest single shift slaughter facility
• JBS Rockhampton abattoir has a processing capacity of approximately 700 head per day and supplies markets mainly in the USA and Asia

While the Rockhampton Region has a mature beef supply chain, there remains opportunity for further development, in particular feedlots. Construction is underway on Mort & Co’s state-of-the-art feedlot at Gogano, west of Rockhampton, which will turn over more than 125,000 head of cattle each year, and repurpose manure into fertiliser.

With access to a diverse range of industry specialists, including livestock sales, animal health and nutrition together with experts in beef cattle, sheep, wool, goat and pig production it makes sense to invest in the Rockhampton Region.

Here are some of the untapped opportunities around beef and livestock in the Rockhampton Region: 

Small Scale Butchers

While Rockhampton has commercial meat processing facilities, there is considerable opportunity to support the local farm gate and paddock to plate, and for smaller scale abattoir systems in Rockhampton to service the lamb, goat and pig industries.

Feedlot Opportunities

A comprehensive study conducted by the Queensland Government between 2002 and 2007 identified the potential to develop at least four large cattle feedlots in the region with a capacity of approximately 30,000 Standard Cattle Units (SCUs) each. The total potential turnoff of these feedlots could reach approximately 445,000 finished head annually.

Rockhampton is an ideal location for feedlots due to:

• Access to feeder cattle from the Fitzroy Region, with almost 3 million head
• Availability of water and climatic conditions
• Availability of land that is away from sensitive receptors and outside of flood zones
• Suitability for grain growing and proximity to grain growing areas
• Suitability of soils for grain production and by-product waste utilisation
• Proximity to major road networks, rail, airport, two ports, two abattoirs and a saleyard
• Experienced labour and access to veterinarians, expert researchers and advisors
• Access to local specialists to secure permits and approvals

Advance Rockhampton can support your livestock or agricultural business by assisting with:

• Business to business connections
• Development and planning advice
• Economic impact modelling
• Investment and site tours
• Tailored data
• Solutions brokering