An organic cattle station is relying on a crowdfunding campaign to rescue its dying business after losing its abbatoir last year.
The Jonsson family of Jervoise Organic Meats and Jervoise Station in Far North Queensland lost their abattoir in a mandatory acquisition by the Queensland Government, and the bank is now asking for the rest of the family’s business following a revaluing of the 70,000-acre property.
Owner and matriarch Kerry Jonsson said the business – currently run by three generations of Jonsson women – was now relying on the generosity of strangers to raise $250,000 and return the business to its recent glory.
"We'd worked so hard for 10 years to build the business up through the addition of our own abattoir,” she said.
“It was going great, and then just like that it was taken away."
The Jonssons were contacted by Powerlink and told that the land was needed to expand an existing substation.
The family was left with no choice but to accept a payout amount from the government that was insufficient to allow them to build a new abattoir.
Following that, the family's banking institution took their entire payout.
"The bank suddenly decided it would use non-organic values to assess our debt, which makes no sense at all,” Jonsson said.
“Why would they value a certified organic property that's able to charge a premium for products the same as a non-certified property? It's crazy.”
Without an abattoir, the Jonssons were left with a significantly reduced source of income.
The Jonssons have launched a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo to try and raise the funds they need to start building a new abattoir at Jervoise Station.
"By building at Jervoise we will again have complete control of the processing of our own beef, with animal welfare greatly improved,” she said.
"We are applying and hoping that we can get a loan of $650,000 from the Government's Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA), but it's not enough to get the abattoir finished and properly equipped.
"We're hopeful that with the support of those who care about organic farming in this country, we can raise the extra $250,000 that we need to get the new abattoir up and running."
To view the 'Save Jervoise' Indiegogo campaign visit here.
