Australia-Beef company may have problems.

AUSTRALIA- COMPANY COULD BE RIPE FOR TAKEOVER..

The beleaguered Harvey Beef operation has lost its third chief executive officer in 18 months.

Michael Rappatoni has moved into a corporate restructing position with Harvey Beef’s parent company Stark Harmony.

His replacement has not been announced, but a management team from the Kilcoy plant in Queensland are in WA to restructure the plant.

Industry is now calling for someone with significant experience in processing to take over the plant.

Sources said that inexperience in running a meatworks had contributed to the inefficiency of the plant.

Of the past three plant bosses, only interim chief executive officer Mark Spurr had any form of meat industry experience as a former managing director of Meat and Livestock Australia.

Scott Henderson, who took over the role when the abattoir was bought by Stark Harmony in March 2006, was a Skywest Airlines chief executive.

Mr Rappatoni had an accounting background and was appointed to the top job in November 2007 after joining the company as chief financial officer and company secretary in August 2006.