July 16, 2010
Queensland graziers to transport cattle by road
A hike in rail prices in Australian state, Queensland has graziers saying, for the first time, it is cheaper to move cattle by road than by rail.
Graziers in Queensland have been hit with a 12% increase in the cost of transporting cattle on trains, and one of the country's biggest beef producers said he has now abandoned rail as a transportation mode.
Director of McDonald Holdings, Zanda McDonald, said his company is trucking cattle for the first time.
"About 95% is now road train traffic going down to the abattoirs. For us now, it's about AUD7 (US$6.15) a head cheaper to go by road through to Dinmore than rail," he said.
"Unless the government either brings the subsidy back on or it's privatised, with the hope that maybe a private operator would do things more efficiently, I think their days are probably numbered, unfortunately," McDonald added.
