The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO) is a large, privately owned, Australian cattle company which operates 13 cattle stations (as well as the Wainui farm and feedlot) covering over 60,000 km2, managing about 200,000 cattle, in Queensland and the Northern Territory. It produces beef cattle which are grass fed and grain finished before sale to Australian meat processors who onsell beef to domestic and international customers.
Introduction
The North Australian Pastoral Company (NAPCO) is an Australian cattle company founded in 1877. It was originally established in the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory before expanding to Queensland as the company developed. It is one of Australia's oldest cattle companies and is today, a leading national beef producer in the Australian cattle industry. The company has a variety of stations throughout the Northern Territory and Queensland. Northern Territory stations include those such as Alexandria and Mittiebah, whilst Queensland stations encompass those such as Boomarra, Kynuna and Portland Downs. The company is most well known for its development of the Alexandria and Kynuna cattle composites which are species of cattle that are distinct to NAPCO and separate it from others in the pastoral industry.
Overview of the North Australian Pastoral Company
Founded in 1877 the North Australian Pastoral Company is one of Australia's leading agricultural enterprises as well as being one of its oldest and largest. NAPCO’S rangelands span 6.4 million hectares across both Queensland and the Northern Territory where a variety of stations have been established. The company is currently in possession of cattle heads amounting to some 190,000 cows spread throughout each station from Queensland to the Northern Territory. There are currently twelve stations located in Queensland, and only two located in the Northern Territory. However, whilst Queensland contains more stations in comparison to the Northern Territory, its capacity of cattle is far less. For example, the Goldsborough station in Queensland only holds a capacity of 4,000 cattle, whereas the Northern Territory station of Mittiebah holds an approximate capacity of 80,000 cows.
The company's standing in the Australian agricultural industry is attributed to its advanced composite breeding programs, from which it has developed two of its own cattle species known as the Alexandria composite and Kynuna composite. The company has also engaged in an Environmental Management System (EMS) which is a policy implementation that aims to reduce carbon emissions by engaging in environmentally sound beef production. By introducing an Environmental Management Strategy, the company is in step with the work of fellow pastoralists operating in the Northern Rangeland industry who have also implemented a particular model of EMS to specifically target the impact they have on the environment.
History
The NAPCO partnership was formed in 1877 by Queenslanders William Collins, William Forrest and Sir Thomas McIlwraith, with Englishmen John Warner and Sir William Ingram. The first station acquired was Alexandria Downs in the Northern Territory.
Francis Foster invested in NAPCO in 1937 taking an 18% interest which grew through his lifetime to 43%, bringing with it exceptional pastoral skills and a long-term vision.
Monkira and Coorabulka were acquired in 1939 as part of their plan to breed cattle at Alexandria and then fatten and sell from the Channel Country. u In 1968 the company acquired Glenormiston along with the adjoining property, Marion Downs, at about the same time.
In May 2016, Queensland Investment Corporation acquired a 79% interest in NAPCO with the Foster family owning the remaining 21%.
In 2016 NAPCO was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
In January 2020 NAPCO announced it was purchasing Mantuan Downs, a large-scale cattle breeding and finishing property in Central Queensland. The property consists of two pastoral leases, known as Mantuan Downs and Castlevale as well as the freehold Semper Idem.
Properties
As at 2017, the company operated the following stations: