HCA Beef Cattle Herd Management Project (Revoked)

HCA Beef Cattle Herd Management Project (Revoked) is a beef cattle herd management project located across pastoral properties operated by Hewitt Agribusiness, which include major stations such as Narwietooma, located approximately 130km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. It was registered in June 2016, though the exact project area size remains publicly undocumented.

Beef cattle herd management projects involve implementing practice changes to increase the ratio of weight to age of the herd. Standard requirements include adopting measures such as improved genetics, advanced weaning strategies, or providing dietary supplements to reduce the overall enteric methane emissions intensity per kilogram of liveweight produced.

The semi-arid and arid regions where Hewitt operates are primarily known for extensive cattle grazing and pastoral operations. These central environments typically experience low and highly variable rainfall, featuring soil types that range from deep red desert sands in the Northern Territory to heavy vertosol clays on their Queensland properties.

Interestingly, this project was short-lived and voluntarily revoked under section 33 of the CFI Act on 14 December 2017. Years later, on 15 December 2023, the proponent's name on the registry was officially updated from Hewitt Cattle Australia Pty Ltd to Hewitt Agribusiness Pty Ltd. This reflects the company's broader corporate evolution into one of Australia's largest certified organic meat producers, which today manages over 200,000 head of livestock across the country.