Weighing the benefits with Orange On Farm Butchers

Orange On Farm Butchers does what its name says — processing animals on-site for local farmers.

This creates less stress on the animals, better environmental outcomes, and less waste, David Moller says.

“We’re currently based out of Molong, what we do is visit various properties and process their animals for them; we have our own mobile cool-rooms on the farm,” he explained.

“For livestock, this makes it a lot less stressful, they don’t have to be put on a truck and transported to wherever for the abattoir; for the farmers themselves, they don't have to yard them up,” David added.

The grazier also knows the quality standards that they themselves have applied in their production, the inputs, and what they’ve been fed.

“They know where the meat’s coming from and how they’ve been produced, it isn’t just big farmers, but for small, hobby farmers with a few sheep as well,” David said.

“We do everything from cattle to sheep, goats, and pigs, I’ve also done a couple of deer and a couple of alpaca, pretty much anything they want us to have a go at,” he said.

The COVID-19-inspired lockdowns of the last two years, David added, far from crimping his business model, has made trade better than ever.

“If anything, it’s made us busier. People can stock their freezer without going to town and, particularly, they can avoid supermarkets, butchers, and restaurants. It’s ideal for those that want to avoid crowds at this time.

“Instead, they can see the meals in their paddock and, if they don’t have to go the supermarket, they’re thinking, ‘why not?’,” David added.

These social changes caused by the pandemic have led to a boom in demand, so if you want David’s butchery service on your property, book in early! “At the moment, you have to give us 12–14 weeks’ notice, we’ve got bookings to early March at the moment,” he said.

Applying full COVID safety plans rules, the work, he said, actually involves minimal close-contact with the client as a rule anyway.

“There’s not much contact to be honest, we generally meet them outside, set-up, and get to it,” he explained.

Running his specialist business model for the past five years, David’s work as a butcher spans three decades. “Pretty much from when I left school, ranging from meatworks, abattoirs, and supermarkets as a meat department manager,” he said.

While Orange on Farm Butchers provides a number of economic, environmental, and animal welfare advantages for clients, there is only one catch, David added.

“The only thing is, that for what we process, no meat can be sold on to anyone else, you can’t sell it on to neighbours or the like,” David concluded.

David Moller, Orange On Farm Butchers, mob. 0402 259 891, email: orangeonfarmbutchers@outlook.com, www.facebook.com/orangeonfarmbutchers/

ends