North Australian Pastoral Company
[7] The company is currently in possession of cattle heads amounting to some 190,000 cows spread throughout each station from Queensland to the Northern Territory.
[14] By introducing an Environmental Management Strategy, the company is in step with the work of fellow pastoralists operating in the Northern Rangeland industry who have also implemented a particular model of EMS to specifically target the impact they have on the environment.
[1] Francis Foster invested in NAPCO in 1937 taking an 18% interest, which grew through his lifetime to 43%, bringing with it exceptional pastoral skills and a long-term vision.
[16] Monkira and Coorabulka were acquired in 1939 as part of their plan to breed cattle at Alexandria and then fatten and sell from the Channel Country.
[18][16] In January 2020 NAPCO announced it was purchasing Mantuan Downs, a large-scale cattle breeding and finishing property in Central Queensland.
[36] These figures demonstrate how environmental and infrastructural conditions must be accounted for throughout Australian pastoral systems, thereby indicating how these influences have had an effect on the Southern and Northern rangeland industry.
The company also partakes in a carcass assessment which draws upon data extracted from analysing feedlot trials and the specie's overall climate durability.
[48] The Hereford species is well suited to both grain finishing and grasses as its primary form of sustenance, and for that reason is also able to produce high quality and dense carcasses.
Slaughter rates in the Australian feedlot sector tend to increase during drought periods which can last for a number of years.
This is due to the limited availability of grain which the onset of drought brings with it, meaning that feedlots are generally lacking in activity during this time.
[44] The grazing of cattle is the primary use of Australia's Northern Rangelands, and as such, it has enabled them to become a central organ for Australian agricultural enterprises.
[55] Australia's Northern rangelands have engaged in recent innovations to increase beef productivity whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
[56] These strategies include; improving herd genetics, utilising feed bases, and promoting both feedlot finishing and property infrastructure.
[57] NAPCO has adopted these strategies and complemented them by utilising solar energy systems, perennial pastures and minimum tillage to increase productivity and limit carbon emissions.
[59] The composite cattle proves to be more durable compared to the Shorthorn cow variations, due to their increased drought and disease resistance and heat tolerance.
The composites are a more profitable long term species for NAPCO that has ensured beef productivity has been maintained whilst minimising environmental degradation.
During this period of development, Commonwealth and state governments who had been promoting EMS models in the agricultural sector began to introduce these methods to the nation's red meat industry.
[66] This was primarily due to the increased costs of surveillance audits and an absence of market incentives to promote this certificate as the gold standard within the Australian beef industry.
