Last week, I was out on the Darling Downs. As far as the eye could see, there were crops - hectares upon hectares of barley, GMO canola, GMO corn, GMO wheat and chickpeas.
But what really caught my eye were the feedlots. Turns out, this region is home to some of the largest in the country - like Whyalla Feedlot near Texas (expanding to a casual 75,000 cattle) and Yarranbrook near Inglewood (with plans to increase to 35,000). When you stand there, you don’t just see the scale, you feel it. It’s… a lot.
Why Feedlots Even Exist (and why we aren’t thrilled about it)
Feedlots were created to do one thing: pump cattle up to “ready for market” weight as quickly and consistently as possible. By feeding cattle grain in confinement, farmers can get them to slaughter weight much faster than grass alone and keep the supply steady, even through the droughts. Efficient? Sure. Natural? Nah… Great for the cows? Let’s just say… they didn’t exactly vote for it.
What’s the Hidden Cost?
Feedlots may be efficient, but the hidden costs are stacked higher than a cow on stilts.
🥩 Cattle Health
Cows are ruminants - basically, their whole digestive system is built for grass. Swap that for high-grain diets, and things start to go pear-shaped. Think acidosis (painful tummy troubles), liver abscesses, lameness, and the need for ongoing veterinary interventions. Feedlots are also hotspots for disease outbreaks like Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) - the leading cause of feedlot deaths - driven by crowding, dust, stress, and transport. These issues often require the routine use of antibiotics, which is not only costly but also a growing public health concern.
💩 The Poo Problem
On pasture, manure is magic - it fertilises soil, builds organic matter, and even helps capture carbon. In a feedlot, thousands of animals in one space means waste piles up fast. Instead of nourishing the land, it becomes a pollution risk, threatening waterways, contributing to methane emissions, and creating environmental problems that ripple out well beyond the fences.
☀️ Animal Welfare
Some feedlots do invest in welfare improvements like shade and dust suppression, but many don’t. A big chunk of Queensland feedlots still leave cattle without shade in 40°C summers. Imagine standing shoulder-to-shoulder on hot dirt, staring at green paddocks just beyond the fence. Feels pretty cruel, doesn’t it?
The Labelling Loophole
Many consumers try to avoid feedlot beef by choosing “grass-fed” at the supermarket. Unfortunately, under current labelling rules, “grass-fed” doesn’t always mean what you think it does.
As long as cattle haven’t been confined in an accredited feedlot, the beef can legally be sold as “grass-fed” - even if the animals were fed grain in paddocks, troughs, or bins. Grain is still grain, but the label still qualifies.
So while you’re paying a premium for “grass-fed,” it may not be 100% pasture-raised or grass-finished. It’s a loophole that misleads well-meaning consumers.
Why It’s Worth Caring About
Choosing 100% grass-fed and finished beef isn’t just about animal welfare - it’s about the health of the whole system.
🐄 For the cattle: Grass is what they’re designed to eat. It keeps them healthier, reduces disease, and means less need for antibiotics.
🌱 For the planet: Rotational grazing and well-managed pastures build soil health, reduce erosion, and actively draw carbon out of the atmosphere.
🥩 For us: Truly grass-fed beef contains healthier fats, like omega-3s and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which aren’t present at the same levels in grain-fed animals.
How We Do Things Differently
At Spray-Free Farmacy, we don’t mess around with loopholes. We work only with regenerative farmers who raise their cattle on pasture for their entire lives. No shortcuts. No “technicalities.”
These cattle live as nature intended - grazing diverse pastures, building soil fertility, and giving back more than they take.
When we say 100% grass-fed and finished, we mean it. Full stop.
The Bottom Line
Feedlots are part of Australia’s beef system, but they’re not the whole story - and certainly not the best story.
As consumers, we get to choose:
👉 Go along with the efficiency-driven, loophole model.
👉 Or back the farmers who are doing things differently - raising animals in harmony with nature, producing food that’s better for them, for us, and for the planet.
Know your farmer. Trust your farmer. And choose beef the way nature intended: 100% grass-fed and finished.
And if you’re wondering where to start, we’ve done the legwork for you. 🐄🌱
👉 Try our Regen Meat Box today and enjoy meat from our farmers who are doing things the right way.
References
Nagaraja, T. G., & Lechtenberg, K. F. (2007). Acidosis in feedlot cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 23(2), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.04.002
Snowder, G. D., Van Vleck, L. D., Cundiff, L. V., & Bennett, G. L. (2006). Bovine respiratory disease in feedlot cattle: Environmental, genetic, and economic factors. Journal of Animal Science, 84(8), 1999–2008. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2006-046
Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review. (2023). Livestock industry accounts for a substantial share of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and underscores the need for more sustainable practices. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119146
