NSW is the largest producer of poultry meat in Australia, producing around 1/3 of the national total. NSW is also the second largest beef producer, accounting for around 20% of Australia’s total.

The NSW Food Authority currently licenses approximately 8,000 businesses in the meat sector, including about 60 abattoirs, 350 meat processing plants and 1,800 retail premises (butchers), as well as cold stores and more than 4,500 food transport vehicles. 

Meat food businesses need to meet food safety and labelling requirements, which vary depending on the business type: 

• retail meat premises (butchers)
• meat vans
• poultry product transport
• meat & poultry processing plants
• game meat harvester vehicles & game meat field depots/chillers
• game meat processing plants
• red meat abattoirs (domestic & export)
• poultry and non-red meat abattoirs
• poultry live transport
• poultry meat producers (farms)
• animal food vans
• animal food processors
• knackeries & rendering plants