General News
19 March, 2025
Beef producers at the forefront of animal welfare
North West graziers are leading the way when it comes to best-practice handling of livestock.
North West beef producers were among the first to recognise the increasing focus on animal welfare issues among meat consumers and trialled an anaesthetic spray at Cloncurry that is now widely adopted across the nation.
Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) revealed during last week’s Cloncurry BeefUp forum that perceptions around animal welfare played a major role in the supermarket buying decisions of almost half of all Australian meat consumers.
MLA adoption and commericalisation group manager Sarah Strachan said the beef industry actively collected data to gauge consumer perceptions and better inform producers.
“There is sometimes misunderstanding among consumers about how beef is produced,” she said.
“But animal welfare is a big issue for us and we have the data to prove that producers across the country are doing the right thing.
“We have a good story to sell.”
Among the products on the market that address animal welfare is Tri-Solfen, which is an RSPCA-backed anaesthetic and antiseptic spray that is used to improve the dehorning and castration process in cattle and mulesing in sheep.
It gained widespread publicity among beef producers after first being trialled at the vast McDonald Holdings properties surrounding Cloncurry by the late Zanda McDonald.
Lorraine Station manager Michael Crisp is among those North West cattlemen that now actively use the topical spray during their routine animal work.
“I think Australian beef producers are always looking for the best ways to look after our cattle,” he said.
“I think we are always looking for new ways to lift our game.”