Frustrated beef producers have called for a judicial inquiry into the industry as low prices and high input costs continue to put the squeeze on profits.
The Red Meat Action Group (RMAG) have aligned themselves with the Australian Beef Association (ABA) with both groups calling for a judicial inquiry into the Australian beef industry.
RMAG chairman Gary Buller said the current state of affairs, which are being exacerbated by the gas crisis, demonstrates the need for such action.
Mr Buller said he would not rule out holding a major public rally in Perth to alert consumers to the poor prices farmers are receiving while supermarket prices have not changed.
"World cattle prices continue to rise while WA producers receive prices similar to 1980s yet WA consumers are faced with paying the highest retail beef prices in the country, if not the world," Mr Buller said.
"Livestock producers are appalled that WA abattoirs have used the gas crisis to further erode farmers' dismal returns yet prices haven't reduced at retail level."
Mr Buller has also questioned a cost structure. released by Woolworths, saying they used a particular $10 cut of beef to demonstrate how little return they make on beef sales when paying the producer $3.80/kg for the product.
"If Woolworths' returns on beef sales are as low as they claim one must ask why they continue to sell beef," he said.
"Until the retail giants get their heads out of the sand and treat producers with the respect they deserve, RMAG will continue to support ABA in applying pressure on those sectors of the industry, including the large retailers, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and Cattle Council, which fail to recognise the plight of the industry."
WAFarmers president Mike Norton and Pastoralists and Graziers Association (PGA) meat section president Tim D'Arcy are against the idea.
Mr Norton and Mr D'Arcy say they are both intent on securing $100,000 to fund a beef stocktake program, which they say will analyse the beef indus-try supply chain and lead to an increase in prices paid by supermarkets at the farm gate.
They say MLA has already pledged $50,000 and they are now looking to the State Gov-ernment or the Cattle Industry Compensation Fund to get another $50,000.
Mr D'Arcy said the program would be aimed at carrying out whole-of-chain research.
"It will give us the ability to look at prices of products from when they leave the farm to what consumers are paying with the aim of increasing that return to producers," Mr D'Arcy said.
Mr Norton said all the indus-try needed to work together to find solutions to the price problem.
"I do not believe a judicial inquiry is the answer," he said.
"We are still committed to working on achieving outcomes on the nine motions that were set at the crisis meeting held in Bunbury in November and that includes establishing the stocktake program.
"The Agriculture Department is already doing work similar to what we want to do through the stocktake program, but that won't be ready until later in the year, we need to get something happening now."
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