Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative Ltd Information

The Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative Limited (WAMMCO) has its origins in December 1971 when it's predecessor, the Western Australian Lamb Marketing Board (WALMB), was established by the Government of Western Australia. WALMB was evolved out of pressures for a system of orderly marketing from lamb producers exerted mainly through the WA farmer body - the 10,000 member Farmer's Union of WA, now known as WA Farmers. Unlike other states, Western Australia had always had to look to export markets to efficiently market the surplus of its spring lamb production, due to the limited size of the domestic market and the extremely high turn off of lamb production over a relatively short period of time between September and November each year. Consequently returns from export sales have been highly significant in determining the eventual level of returns to lamb producers. In the late 1960's the situation was aggravated by a crisis in the wool industry which resulted in an increased supply of merino lambs reducing returns to producers. Ultimately, a system was devised by which the WALMB, under the powers vested in it by the Marketing of Lamb Act, as it was then known, compulsorily acquired every lamb at the point of slaughter. This enabled the WALMB to set a guaranteed purchase price for lamb which was, under the requirements of the Act, reasonably stable subject to various other factors. The WALMB's activities were in essentially administering the Act and maintaining the information systems to enable it to operate, as well as marketing of lamb and associated products.