Australia-JBS-Swift face Senate Committee.

AUSTRALIA-GOVERNMENT SENATE COMMITTEE AND BRAZILAN BEEF GIANT.

A SMALL Tasmanian company will take its fight with a global meat industry giant to a Senate inquiry today.

Ugg boot maker Cuthbertson Brothers is locked in a bitter dispute with the Brazilian-controlled Swift over Tasmania’s sheepskin market.

Cuthbertson’s managing director Doug Dickinson said yesterday he would attend the Senate inquiry into food standards in Launceston.

However, Swift, which operates the Longford abattoir and is reviewing the future of its King Island meatworks, may not appear.

Mr Dickinson has also written to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission seeking an inquiry into Swift’s practices.

Mr Dickinson wants the ACCC to inquire into whether Swift breached the Trade Practices Act in January when it disallowed his workers to enter Swift’s recently acquired Longford abattoir to tender for sheep and lamb skin.

The move has starved Cuthbertson of 80 per cent of its high-quality skins and, in turn, halved exports to just 5000 skins per week and slashed profits by $10,000 per week.

Mr Dickinson has been forced to dip into savings in order to keep the business afloat and the company’s 20 workers employed.

"I think we can hang in there for the next two to three months," he said.

Mr Dickinson said farmers had already been hurting because the cost of a sheepskin had already dropped up to $4 since Cuthbertson had been forced out of the tender process.

"Something must be done," he said.

"It will be more than just our drought-affected farmers and those who work for me (who will be affected).

"It will be Tasmania’s ability to export its high-quality product overseas, costing the Tasmanian economy an estimated $10 million."

Mr Dickinson called for the State Government’s support at the Senate inquiry today.

He expressed disappointment that the Government did not negotiate with Swift during its recent dash to King Island to meet Swift executives and seal a deal to keep the island’s abattoir open this week.

Swift spokesman John Berry declined to answer several questions but said Swift did not regard Cuthbertson as competition.