Brendan Cullen is the new president of Murray Darling Organics.

Organic vendor sees big potential

Toby Scales of Cleaver’s organic meat company believes there is potential to source as many as 200,000 organic lambs a year from the Western Division in the next decade.

Cleavers currently sources about 80 per cent (40,000 head) of their organic lamb supply a year from the Western Division.

The company mainly supplies Woolworths; the majority of lambs sourced from the west are Dorper-infused first- and second-cross but third-cross lambs are becoming available.

Organic lamb is currently paying around $4.80 per kilogram over the hooks, with producers paying the kill fee but receiving a credit for the skin.

White Dorpers generally show better returns due to their higher skin values.

Cleavers is keen to work with people wanting to get into organic production but Mr Scales stresses only quality lambs are bought.

Rangelands are proving to be ideal for organic lamb production.

Wide open expanses where chemical use is low, where livestock graze native pastures and where meat breeds such as Dorpers and Damaras require very little husbandry provide the right environment for success.

Western Division graziers, many in drought for up to five years, established Murray Darling Organics (MDO) Incorporated when they saw the rising organic lamb market as an opportunity to diversify and escape relatively low wool prices.

According to NSW Department of Primary Industries pastures agronomist at Dareton, Peter Jessop, the new organisation’s 20 members now aim to develop a reliable organic lamb supply chain in the division with its own brand for both domestic and export product.

"This will draw together producers, processors and exporters to establish a viable long term organic lamb industry," Mr Jessop said.

"Murray Darling Organics has staged seven open forums at venues including Balranald, Ivanhoe, Broken Hill, Dareton and Pooncarie with guest speakers, and aims to provide information to organically certified graziers and to others who want to enter the industry."

Brendan Cullen, Mt Westwood station, north of Broken Hill, is the new president of MDO taking over from 2005 NSW Farmer of the Year, Garry Hannigan.

Mr Cullen is A grade and USDA organically certified and runs shedding meat sheep for organic lamb production and Merinos for organic wool production in separate mobs.

After introducing Damaras to "Mt Westwood" about seven years ago to take advantage of the live export trade, which subsequently fell through, Mr Cullen pursued organic certification.

That took three years and he is now achieving good returns from both his organic wool, and lamb infused with Dorper and Van Rooy.

Mr Cullen said there had been difficulties combining wool and lamb production from two mobs on the one property but he had succeeded.

MDO was established following a highly successful organic lamb forum in Balranald during June 2006, attended by 300 participants from the Western Division and some from other parts of Australia.

While the group’s activities are focused on organic lamb they will extend to organic production of all types within the division.

Contact Peter Jessop, Dareton, (03) 5019 8407, peter.jessop@dpi.nsw.gov.au