A Pinjarra cattle farmer has won a $59 million contract to supply livestock to feed Western Australia’s prisoners.
A Pinjarra cattle farmer has won a $59 million contract to supply livestock to feed Western Australia’s prisoners.
Kim and Alison Tuckey’s Kookabrook Grazing Company on Tuesday was awarded the five-year $58.8 million deal by the Department of Justice for supply and delivery of cattle to Karnet Prison Farm.
The contract will see about 50 cattle delivered over four days every week to the Karnet Prison Farm for processing.
The Tuckeys will supply the prison system with cattle for the next two years and have three one-year extension options which could stretch the contract out until 2029.
"The value is an estimate which considers a range of pricing factors including average pricing for livestock, estimated number of livestock to be delivered each week transportation costs, and any other costs required for the delivery of the contract," a Department of Finance spokesperson said.
"Estimated CPI growth for the transportation and other costs, plus prison muster growth per annum has also been factored into the award value."
Karnet’s abattoir is the sole supplier of red meat and pork products to Western Australia’s prisons.
The contract values the cattle, logistics and administration work at about $4,500-per-head.
Cattle supplied will have to weigh between 550 kilograms and 650kg due to the abattoir’s processing constraints on larger livestock.
The Tuckeys own about 240 hectares of farmland in the Meelon district, south-east of Pinjarra and about 40 kilometres by road from the prison.
The last cattle supply deal was rolled in with sheep meat contract as a $52.6 million deal in 2017 to the Tuckeys and Nairns Livestock Services.
Cattle supply was worth $27.8m and sheep supply $3.8m.
That deal required the same amount of cattle, though weight could range from 450 to 550kg.
Up to 400 yearling hoggets were contracted to be delivered fortnightly under the arrangement.
Karnet’s next meat supply contract due for renewal will be for pork meat.
It was last awarded in 2020 to Linley Valley Pork for $3.4 million and is due for renewal in September next year.
A five-year, $800,000 sheep meat supply contract was awarded in late 2021 to the Russell family's Johnson Meats.
That contract is due for renewal in October 2026.
