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Famous Cattle Towns

Casino, New South Wales: The Town That Hosts Beef Week

A Richmond Valley town where a grower-owned meat company and a festival have shaped local identity.

Why Casino calls itself the Beef Capital

Casino sits in the Richmond Valley in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, about 40 minutes from Byron Bay. The Casino Beef Week festival page headlines the town as the Beef Capital of Australia but does not explain or substantiate the title. The page lists several primary industry and manufacturing businesses in town, including the NSW Sugar Mill, Richmond Dairies, Riverina Stock Feeds, New World Foods and the Casino Food Co-Op.

The title is long claimed and openly contested. A 2018 Beef Central report on the competing claims said Casino had held it for as long as anyone could remember, and that it has a large abattoir operated by the Northern Cooperative Meat Company.

Casino Beef Week

The Casino Beef Week history page says the inaugural festival took place in 1982. The festival typically lasts more than a week and includes cattle competitions, rodeo events, parades, live music and family events. Casino Beef Week 2025 ran from 24 May to 1 June. Fast facts on the page say 41 Beef Week Queens have been crowned, 7 members have received life membership, 33 festival themes have been held and over 1,000 people attend the free Breakfast With The Butchers each year.

The festival page calls it nine days, while the 2018 Beef Central report said eleven, so the length has varied or the sources count differently. For the industry, the festival is described as one of the largest and longest-running beef events in Australia, with seminars, cattle sales and beef competitions.

What Made It Work

Casino's beef identity rests on a grower-owned processor and a festival that has run for decades. The structure of the processor is the more unusual of the two.

The sources opened for this profile do not give throughput figures or town founding details, so this entry is marked thin.

  • Cattle producers founded the Northern Co-operative Meat Company in 1933 as a producer-owned cooperative.
  • Grower shareholders kept ownership: the business remained owned by its grower shareholders after its 2025 change.
  • Beef Week, first held in 1982, gives the town an annual platform to promote local beef.
  • Community events such as the free Breakfast With The Butchers keep residents involved.
  • Related businesses, including Casino Hide Tanners and the Booyong Pork business, share the new corporate brand.
  • Co-operatives had trouble borrowing money for expansion, which is why growers voted to change the structure.

From co-op to Casino Food Company

Beef Central's report on the transition says the Northern Co-operative Meat Company began as a cattle producer-owned co-operative in 1933. Grower shareholders approved the change at an extraordinary general meeting, and the business is now an unlisted public company. The new Casino Food Company Ltd was registered effective 12 May 2025, and the reason given was that co-operatives had difficulty borrowing for expansion.

Frank Hannigan became chairman and Lennard Blok deputy chair. John Seccombe stepped down after serving since 2013 and was the ninth chairman in the co-op's history. Simon Stahl remains chief executive. The article does not state capacity or head processed.

The rival Beef Capital claims

The Beef Capital title is claimed by more than one town. In December 2018, at the first Darling Downs Beef Battle in Toowoomba, Toowoomba's backers pointed to about 40 percent of national feedlots and processing capacity within reach. Rockhampton countered with 2.6 million cattle in its region and the Beef Australia expo.

Casino's counter is its long-running Beef Week and its producer-owned processor. No official body awards the title.

Learn more

For more on beef towns and cattle culture, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Australian beef festivals.

Timeline

  1. 1933Northern Co-operative Meat Company founded as a producer co-operative
  2. 1982First Casino Beef Week
  3. 2013John Seccombe becomes chairman
  4. 2018Toowoomba challenges Casino and Rockhampton for the title
  5. 2025Casino Food Company Ltd registered effective 12 May

Frequently asked questions

Why is Casino called the Beef Capital of Australia?

Casino promotes itself with that title, backed by Casino Beef Week since 1982 and a large producer-owned abattoir. The title is contested by Rockhampton and Toowoomba, and no official body awards it.

When did Casino Beef Week start?

The inaugural Casino Beef Week took place in 1982. The 2025 festival ran from 24 May to 1 June, and organizers say 41 Beef Week Queens have been crowned.

What is the Northern Co-operative Meat Company?

It began in 1933 as a cattle producer-owned cooperative at Casino. In 2025 it became Casino Food Company Ltd, an unlisted public company owned by its grower shareholders.

Where is Casino, NSW?

Casino is in the Richmond Valley in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, about 40 minutes from Byron Bay and an easy drive from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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