Yarranbrook feedlot near Inglewood. Click on images for a larger view

SALE details have been released today by major Australian grainfed beef company Mort & Co, as it seeks to divest two premium-quality feedlot assets in South East Queensland and a feedlot development asset in Central Queensland.

As one of the largest vertically integrated premium beef businesses in the country, Mort & Co’s sale of selected assets will allow specialist operators to add scale, while Mort & Co focuses on its branded-beef core business, marketing agent and transaction advisers LAWD said in a release issued this afternoon.

Mort & Co has chosen the word ‘divestment’ to describe the sale process, rather than the word ‘restructure’ chosen in Beef Central’s original report published on Monday evening.

We have also since learned that the Mort & Co shareholders electing to sell down their interest in the business, leading to the divestment process, are not foundation shareholders Richard and Dyan Hughes, who together with Charlie Mort own about 60pc of the business. Instead they come from within a group of about 40 smaller shareholders that hold the balance of the company. Apologies to the Hughes family for the misunderstanding.

LAWD anticipates strong interest from a range of buyers, including domestic and international beef processors looking to secure throughput, corporate agribusiness and institutional investors seeking long-term exposure to the Australian beef sector, and family-owned enterprises and regional operations who may be looking to scale up existing feeding or backgrounding operations.

The three feedlot assets as described in Monday’s report have been listed for individual sale, or in combination.

They include:

• Pinegrove Feedlot, a proven operation with immediate expansion potential on the Darling Downs
• Yarranbrook Feedlot, a large-scale, high-performance facility at Inglewood designed for long-fed Wagyu and Angus programs; and
• Mort & Co’s interest in the Gogango Feedlot Development Site, a fully approved greenfield feedlot opportunity in Central Queensland.

LAWD senior director, Jaclyn Hope is anticipating significant interest in the assets, as current strong processor demand and sustained global demand, particularly from Asia and the Middle East, underpins a bright market outlook for premium-quality beef.

“The company’s three assets in Southern and Central Queensland are all sited within established feed and processing corridors, providing efficient logistics for grain, water and cattle, and minimising freight costs, all of which enhance operating margins,” Ms Hope said.

Individual sales offers flexibility

Each asset is available individually, or in combination, Ms Hope said, giving buyers the flexibility to pursue the operation, or operations that best suits their strategic and geographic footprint.

Located between Millmerran and Cecil Plains, Pinegrove offers a turn-key, modern feedlot of 9698 Standard Cattle Units, with approval to expand to 21,100 SCU.

The site comprises 882ha of farmland with 480 megalitres of high-security groundwater and a licence to impound up to 234 ML of surface water, supporting both irrigated and dryland cropping. The yard specialises in EU-accredited Angus feeding programs targeting high-value export markets.

An hour’s drive south of Pinegrove, Yarranbrook near Inglewood is a large-scale feedlot operation with a capacity of 18,540 SCU, and approval to expand to 35,000 SCU.

Mort & Co acquired outright ownership of Yarranbrook in 2024 and has since upgraded water systems, effluent management and on-site infrastructure. The feedlot and farm spans 13,439ha, and is supported by more than 3000ML of water entitlements from the Macintyre Brook and Coolmunda Dam system.

Greenfield feedlot development

The Gogango site near Rockhampton in Central Queensland is a fully approved 36,500 SCU feedlot development site, representing one of Australia’s most advanced greenfield feedlot developments in recent history.

The 1227ha feedlot development and irrigated cropping site includes 1,820ML of medium-security water entitlements on a long-term lease and has full environmental and development approvals in place with detailed engineering designs completed.

The site is close to major Central Queensland processing facilities including Teys Beenleigh and Rockhampton, JBS Rockhampton and NH Foods’ Borthwicks Mackay.

“Each of these sites combines scale, water security, strategic location and the operational excellence that Mort & Co is renowned for as a leading global producer of premium feedlot beef,” Ms Hope said.

“The operational quality and expansion approvals at Pinegrove and Yarranbrook will align particularly well for buyers with a strategic or vertical-integration focus.”

Sustained global demand for Australian beef

LAWD senior director Tim McKinnon said sustained global demand for high-quality Australian beef, particularly from Asia and the Middle East, is expected to underpin strong fundamentals for the industry.

“The Australian grainfed sector has expanded 36pc over the past decade, so demand for well-managed, scalable beef assets is expected to remain robust,” Mr McKinnon said.

“Buyers are prioritising quality, location, and integration potential, and the Mort & Co assets are well positioned to meet these criteria.”

While the industry faces several challenges in the future, Mr McKinnon said investors with diversified operations and strong management capability would be best placed to navigate these dynamics.

“While there are some risks including climate variability, labour availability, regulatory changes, and market access volatility, they are outweighed by opportunities that include continued global protein demand growth, advances in feed efficiency and carbon reduction, and greater data-driven management across the supply chain,” he said.

• Closing date for offers on the three  is Friday 28 November, unless sold prior. Information can be obtained from LAWD Senior Directors Jaclyn Hope on 0424 596 858 or Danny Thomas on 0439 349 977.