Article by Adam Poulson courtesy of the Kimberley Echo.
WA’s powerhouse red meat processing sector injected $21 billion into Australia’s economy and $1.3b into the State last calendar year, a new report has revealed.
The independent report commissioned by the Australian Meat Processor Corporation estimated the industry supported 8400 fulltime equivalent jobs in WA, totalling $470 million of household income annually.
AMPC chief executive Chris Taylor said the newly-released report — which aimed to estimate the economic activity generated by red meat processing nationwide — indicated a strong future.
“There is an exciting future for red meat processing, and a strong industry means better and more diverse jobs in WA communities and regional Australia,” he said.
“In 2022, red meat processors were estimated to support a staggering 138,000 jobs and $7.6b in annual household income in Australia, but more importantly, each of these jobs supports a family.”
The report found red meat processing directly employed one in 31 Australians who work in the manufacturing sector.
In WA, the figure equated to one in every 28 manufacturing jobs in the State.
“Local jobs and economic activity created by red meat processing in regional WA are essential to supporting a range of small businesses like farmers and retailers to survive across the State,” Mr Taylor said. “Australian red meat processing is advanced manufacturing, creating a world-class product, and it’s done locally, in regional communities .”
Economic consulting firm SG Heilbron completed the report using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and “internal calculations” conducted by AMPC.
It is part of AMPC’s More to Meat campaign, which aims to promote the important role red meat processors play in regional communities .
