Farm-to-plate businesses such as Allington Family Farm and Glenarty Road devastated by Bunbury abattoir’s cut

Popular WA farm-to-plate businesses claim they are in peril after a decision by a Bunbury abattoir to stop taking their animals. The businesses claim that they got just four weeks notice of the decision by Dardanup Butchering Company to cease processing animals from small-scale livestock farmers. Major producer Westpork bought 50 per cent of DBC in 2022. Zoe Allington, of Allington Family Farm in Greenbushes, said the news last Wednesday had devastated the community of small producers. “Some producers have been getting their animals processed regularly at DBC for over 20 years and this change — and with only four weeks notice given — has left everybody in the lurch and uncertain of the future of their businesses and livelihoods.” she said. Allington Family Farm is one of a growing number of pasture-to-plate producers that boasts “ethical, sustainable and regenerative practices”. “To be suddenly cut off and informed that as of October 11 we can no longer use the custom kill service at DBC has left us feeling extremely concerned as to what our business looks like moving forwards and because there aren’t many other alternatives, we are left wondering what the future of the small-scale, paddock-to-plate model looks like here in WA,” Ms Allington said. Ben and Sasha McDonald, of the Glenarty Road farm and restaurant in Margaret River — voted in the top 10 restaurants in WA by this newspaper’s food reviewer Simon Collins — are in the same boat. “Every fortnight for the last 17 years we have driven our truck up to Bunbury with one-to-two dozen lambs and a few pigs,” Mr McDonald posted on Instagram. “We originally supplied boutique butchers in Perth before we opened our restaurant in 2017. “Yesterday, we received news from the abattoir, DBC, that they will cease any custom processing of lamb, pork or beef in order to focus solely on meat for their own markets.” Mr McDonald said that he was desperately trying to find a solution. “There’s 24 staff in our business that are directly impacted,” he said. “There’s six chefs, front of house staff, gardeners. If we don’t have a protein source to serve to our customers (how can we continue)? “We do 15,000 meals a year. Fifteen thousand meals a year without meat, it’s going to be pretty hard to keep any of those people employed. “We are a product-to-plate restaurant. Everything is grown on the farm, all the veggies, all the nuts, we’re making bread. “We cure our own pork ... people come here to to learn our regenerative agriculture story. “My son takes tours around the farm and talks to people about how we grow our animals and how we look after them. “Of course, we could buy (from other suppliers) for our restaurant that doesn’t set us apart from anyone.” The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, which represents small-and medium-scale farmers, said DBC’s decision mirrored a national trend of corporate consolidation. “The announcement comes at a time when many regions in Australia have seen the closure or takeover of local abattoirs with small-and medium-scale farmers increasingly impacted by diminishing options for processing their livestock,” it said. “The DBC decision underscores the disastrous effect not only on local farm businesses and livelihoods but also on their communities’ access to ethically and sustainably produced meat, for which there is ever-growing demand in the face of community concerns about animal welfare and the environmental and climate impacts of industrial livestock production. “AFSA calls on WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis to implement emergency measures to assure access to existing slaughter facilities while committing to immediate support for the development of much-needed micro-abattoirs.” DBC received a $750,000 from the State Government in 2023 to assist with installing a new pork floor at its Bunbury plant. DBC was not available for comment.