By BRAD COOPER Queensland Country Life
TRAILBLAZER, game changer, cattle king, super butcher.
The beef industry is reeling at the shock of losing one of its true giants and mourning for ‘what might have been’ had the life of Zanda McDonald not tragically stopped this week at 41 years too young.
Zanda McDonald was a man of vision and a man of action, whose plans and passion for his family business were as big as his sprawling North Queensland holdings…….
…..It’s partly why the MDH operation partnered with Bayer and the University of NSW to trial a spray-on anaesthetic applied during the de-horning and hot iron branding of calves.
As Zanda explained to QCL last year, the use of pain relief during on-farm procedures will become increasingly crucial in the selling of beef to customers who want to be reassured the beef they are consuming has been produced with the welfare of animals in mind.
“Since the live export debacle last year, it’s really brought it home that animal welfare groups are going to target practices like de-horning, branding and castration here in Australia,” he said.
“From a commercial perspective we can see a fantastic opportunity by being able to stand up with our hands on our hearts and say we have been one of the first cattle companies in the world to do something serious about this important animal welfare issue.”
The McDonald family has been at the forefront of innovation and technology adoption to improve their business for decades as well as a willing contributor to beef research to further the Australian beef cattle industry. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE