Investor Information:
Meat & Livestock Australia Limited (MLA) delivers marketing and research and development services for Australia’s cattle, sheep and goat producers.
Funding comes from transaction levies paid on livestock sales, the Australian government and voluntary contributions from industry partners. MLA is a service provider to the red meat industry, not an industry representative body or lobby group.
Website: www.mla.com.au
Cailan Byrnes
2025 Nuffield Scholar
Cailan strives for cost-effective beef eating quality boost
As the third generation to run a vertically integrated grazing and butcher enterprise, Cailan Byrnes understands the importance of beef grading to the bottom line.
He has been awarded a Nuffield Scholarship to study developing cost-effective beef grading systems with innovative technology to optimise eating quality, and is excited to share his findings with industry to drive gains.
His Nuffield Scholarship, supported by Meat and Livestock Australia, will allow him to travel to countries with well-developed grading systems including the US, Japan, Canada and countries in Europe.
Cailan’s family's business, Byrnes Meats, offers a paddock-to-plate service to thousands of customers each week.
He is the chief operating officer of the family’s processing operation, Rocky Creek Abattoir. More than 50 local producers also supply to the abattoir, which has an average weekly throughput of 150 beef cattle and 100 pigs.
The family has two butchering facilities in Cairns. They supply meat to butcher shops, hotels, restaurants and consumers from the Torres Strait to Townsville.
Cailan is positioned to drive positive change within the meat industry.
“Having transitioned from an electrician four years ago, my enthusiasm, commitment and drive have motivated me to absorb knowledge and build connections enhancing my expertise,” he says.
“My passion and goals are to help the meat industry achieve cost-effective eating quality solutions and promote youth progression and education.”
Cailan has established groups including the NQ Grassfed Beef Group, RCA Carcass Competition, and Byrnes Meats training program. These initiatives aim to build the skills of professionals in Far North Queensland.
His aim is to establish a practical methodology that allows the use beef grading cameras to be implemented and certified within any abattoir.
Ph: 0447 456 988