HUGHENDEN has stepped up its bid to secure a North West abattoir despite Cloncurry being earmarked as the preferred site.
An independent report released earlier this month identified Cloncurry as the best site for a North West meatworks based on location, return for investment, costs and road infrastructure.
However, the report identified Hughenden as having the largest potential cattle supply in the study area, which also covered Mount Isa, Normanton, Richmond and Julia Creek.
But Flinders Shire Council is moving along with its plans to get the go-ahead.
It is understood the council has been in talks with the North Beef consortium backing a North West Queensland processing plant.
Flinders Shire Council mayor Greg Jones said they would now search for a suitable investor for the project.
"There are sufficient slaughter ready cattle in the region to support a new facility," Cr Jones said.
"While the study indicated a number of possible sites through the Mount Isa to Townsville corridor, Hughenden ticks all the boxes and with five roads feeding in to the town, access to a variety of cattle finishing regions is second to none."
But Cloncurry Shire mayor Andrew Daniels rubbished the claim.
"That is absolutely crazy," he said.
"But they (Flinders Shire Council) are free to do what they want to do. Everyone wants a meatworks at the moment but the fact remains that the proof is in the pudding of where it should go."
Cr Daniels said he didn't believe Hughenden had the largest number of slaughter cattle in the region. He also added that he didn't believe the town had the power and water to run a meat-processing plant.
"The bottom line is that a meatworks is needed in northern Australia but it will be dependent on how much the state and federal government will us in support," he said.
"That will make the final decision."
The bid to build Australia's most northern meat-processing plant follows the recent approval for the construction of an abattoir near Darwin in the Northern Territory by the Australian Agricultural Company.
