FOR 25 years meat processors have picked off saleyards one by one, forcing the change to post-sale weighing and eliminating competition.

But a meeting at Barnawartha yesterday declared “enough is enough” when farmers came together to push for a senate inquiry into the red meat processing sector.

Meat producers chose to take a stand after the Northern Victoria Livestock Exchange at Barnawartha were the latest to be faced with an ultimatum by processors: change to post-sale weighing or lose buyers.

The Wagga saleyards are the last in NSW to use the pre-sale weighing practise.

The meeting was chaired by Ian Feldman from the Victorian Farmers Federation who said the inquiry was needed so producers could give evidence anonymously.

The ability to remain anonymous is what is said to be lacking in the ACCC inquiry into the matter.

Attendees unanimously voted in favour of pre-sale weighing and united to demand a Senate inquiry.

NSW Farmers’ Association director Derek Schoen described the meeting as “positive”.

“We need a full investigation into the consolidation of the processing industry in the red meat area because these take-overs keep occurring and soon we will have a duopoly in the processing industry like the Coles and Woolworths situation and we will all be saying how did this happen five years down the line,” Mr Schoen said.

“The next step is to lobby the government seriously and hard for a senate enquiry and to make sure that as many producers as possible contact their federal member and voice their concerns about the consolidation in the processing industry.

“I think there is enough agitation now, people have had enough of it, we are getting the last penny screwed out of our pocket and it always ends up in the processors’ pockets.”

People at the meeting were issued an “Act Now” pamphlet urging them to contact their federal member and voice their concerns.

It also outlined pricing disparities, which showed the retail price of meat had significantly risen over the past 15 years while the saleyard price had remained fairly constant.

Benalla farmer Laurie Horne said he would never take another beast of his to Barnawartha.

“I think the Senate enquiry will happen and I will keep pressure on I think it must happen,” Mr Horne said.

“I will certainly be contacting my federal member but I’m also going to move to sell direct – this is all in opposition to my beliefs.

“Competition is certainly the life blood of auction systems and if you reduce the competition — you reduce your price, you reduce your income.”