About Us

What is AJ Bush & Sons?

AJ Bush & Sons are a 100+ year old family owned Australian meat retailing and animal by-product processing (meat-rendering).  Bush’s Proteins is the meat-rendering division of the group.

What is meat-rendering?

“Render,” derived from the French verb “rendre,” meaning “to give back,” refers to the process of cooking and processing unused or uneaten livestock and poultry meat, along with used cooking oil, that remains after the consumable meat has been harvested following the slaughter of an animal. This process safely and hygienically transforms these materials into new products, upcycling items such as fat, protein, feathers, and bone for secondary uses.

What does the plant at Beaudesert do?

The plant at Beaudesert is a protein and oil extraction plant. It carries out a process commonly known as rendering. The plant is essential in reusing products that remain after manufacturing of products for retail consumption.

How long has the plant been operating?

The plant at Beaudesert has been operating since the 1970s and has been a valuable contributor to the local area since that time, supporting jobs and the local community.  In the 1990s, the plant relocated from the original site at Murrarie to the current site in the QLD Government’s Bromelton State Development Area.

What is the large water pond next to the plant?

As part of the recovery process at the plant, water is a major by product. Wastewater from the plant undergoes several treatment processes before being discharged into a nearby storage pond. From there, it is released according to our irrigation plan.

What hours is the site in operation?

The plant operates in consideration of the upstream processors; therefore the plant is in production from early to mid-morning 6 days a week, from Monday to Saturday.

What products does the plant make?

The plant processes meat and poultry by-products from abattoirs, retail butcher shops and meat processors, into high-grade protein meals and fats/oils.

Why is Bush’s Proteins & Sons an essential service?

Bush’s Proteins processes material that is generated from the food production stream. In addition to abbotoirs and meat processors, Bush’s Proteins also porcesses material from butcher shops, chicken shops, restaurants, clubs, etc. This material is classed as a putrescence in nature and, if not processed in a timely manner, could create a great environmental challenge. If Bush’s Proteins were unable to handle the material from the abattoirs and meat processors, then there would be pressure on the food supply chain, which would impact food security across the region. Time is a critical component to handling the animal by-products, therefore the plant must be operating to support the food production supply chains.

How does Bush’s Proteins support the local community?

Bush’s Proteins is in the process of developing a community sponsorship program to show our longstanding commitment to the local community.

Odours

What causes the odours coming from the plant?

The plant includes processes that convert by-product material into protein and oil products that are beneficially reused such as stock feed, pet foods and other products. While measures are in place to ensure odours are controlled, occasionally neighbours of the plant may notice odours. These are from the recovery processes and potentially from the treatment of wastewater, which is a significant by-product of the process.

I have noticed a cooking smell, what is it?

The plant processes meat, fat and bone which are by-products from the meat and poultry industry producing food for human consumption. The process involves cooking these by-products at high temperatures to recover proteins and oils that are used as pet and stockfeed ingredients to benefit our community. As the process is at high temperatures, the process can result in the release of localised fugitive cooking odours. Bush’s Proteins has systems in place to manage odours and continuously assesses best practise solutions for odour mitigation.

What is being done about the cooking smells?

Bush’s Proteins have measures in place to mitigate cooking odours from our facility, which is equipped with air handling systems that capture and treat odorous air. We have invested in a number of technologies and practices including biofilters and thermal oxidisers which is part of the odour mitigation system of our operations. In addition, we monitor the area in and around our facility to ensure that the odour management systems are working effectively.

Are any of the odours harmful?

Any odours generated in our production process are from the cooking of meat, fat and bone which are the by-products of food produced for human consumption. Similar cooking odours exist within the community from many commercial operators in the fast food and hospitality sectors. As with these operators there are no known health concerns with any odours produced by our operation. Our plant is audited annually in accordance with the industry code of practice and the Australian Standard for Hygienic Rendering of Animal Products.

Regulations

Is the plant currently meeting its regulatory licensing conditions?

Yes. The plant is regulated by an Environmental Authority issued by the QLD Government Department for Environment, Science and Innovation. This includes conditions on all processes at the plant, including odour control and water treatment and release. The plant is regularly inspected by department environmental representatives. As is the case with all companies operating similar processes, if any matters are raised by the Department, the company is required to address these in accordance with licence requirements.

Does the plant use toxic chemicals and are the fumes dangerous?

The products at the plant are put through commonly audited and certified processes for meat rendering. The process is driven largely through heat rather than chemicals. All activities on site are regulated by the EPA and careful management measures are in place to ensure the plant is safe. The only ‘fumes’ released by the plant are steam. There are no toxic fumes.

What else is being done to ensure regulations are met?

Bush’s Proteins will be assessing the performance of the wastewater treatment through sampling, testing and consultation with industry specialists to ensure the ponds remain working efficiently and to required standards.

Sustainability

Does the plant use clean energy?

Our Beaudesert facility is an established facility for renewable energy productions. Currently approximately 30% of the electricity consumption of the plant is produced from biogas generated onsite.  Bush’s Proteins is working on projects to increase this capacity. As a result of such efforts, we were awarded the Business Eco-efficiency Award at the Queensland Premier’s Sustainability Awards in 2013.

How is meat-rendering sustainable?

Rendering has existed for centuries and is one of the oldest “recycling” practices as the rendering process “gives back” in the form of new, high value, rendered goods. Instead of wasting half of the meat we farm and buy, rendering reclaims these unwanted “leftovers” and transforms them into ingredients for countless products.