Recently two major main-stream journals ran articles on AA Co and their optimism towards live cattle exports and quoted at considerable length the company's managing director David Farley.
The direction of Mr Farley's comments were very positive for the northern beef industry.
He felt that Indonesia, while still seeking self-sufficiency in their beef chain supply, would be for some considerable time a very substantial destination for live export cattle from Australia.
Having said this Mr Farley indicated that his company was very aggressive in their attitude to sourcing new markets and had already had some success in countries including Vietnam, the Philippines and increasingly into parts of Europe.
The tightness of global supplies of red meat was going to work in the company's favour and the CEO felt that long-term, America could not continue to run down their herd in order to supply the Asian market.
One primary focus for the company this year was to try and construct an abattoir in the Darwin region to slaughter cattle belonging to the company and no doubt in fullness of time this opportunity would be offered to other producers.
The production would be exported to Asia and Europe in the main.
The cost of this enterprise would be in the region of $80 to $85 million dollars and the company would welcome sustained enquiry from suitable partners to take up a slice of the action.
A further requirement for this major project to proceed is the availability of some $35 million dollars from some level of government either federal or state to pay for, and possibly build, the required infrastructure.
The company once again this year did not declare a dividend and at the time of writing the share price was up slightly at $1.39.
At the time of writing this column the Australian boss of JBS Swift, Iain Mars, has ceased his role as CEO of the company and will return to Brazil to take up a position involving the handling of special projects.
With 28 years in the meat industry and a wealth of knowledge regarding the establishment and building of a processing business his expertise will no doubt be welcome back in Brazil.
The next CEO for Australia will be Andre Nogueira who has a substantial banking background which is probably ideal grounding for the company in these very difficult financial times.
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Milling Stuart Pty Ltd of Dunedoo had until recently a fully-manned office in Binnaway and operated out of the local Binnaway saleyard.
A fortnight ago the company announced the closure of their office in the village and advised their clients that they would no longer be selling at this venue.
A very successful private agency of long standing, they no doubt gave this decision much consideration and had valid reasons for arriving at their final position.
Hopefully for Binnaway another agency will see fit to step into the breach.
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