Australian Cattle and Discovery Bay

Submitted by eurasian_david on Sun, 10/30/2022 - 07:53

Does anyone have any working memory or knowledge about the scheme of importing Australian cattle to Lantau Island sometime in the 1950s? 

The story I heard was supposed to be the importing of meat cattle from the Northern Territory, Australia and having them fattened on site at Discovery Bay, Lantau before selling it to the local market. At the time there was no beef coming out from China so it was to meet local demand. An Australian rancher was engaged to be the foreman of the project. A pier was built to off-load the cattle and there was reputedly a cattle shed with an abattoir on the site to prevent the Australian ships from becoming contaminated through contact with diseases from livestock from China and South East Asia. I believe the project never really took off. 

One reference I can find is from a newspaper clipping from the SCMP in 1958:

“CATTLE AND BUFFALOES FROM AUSTRALIA                       

New Depot And Slaughter-House Set Up At Lantao

BEEF FOR LOCAL MARKETS

             

A shipment of 612 head of Australian cattle and 53 buffaloes, part of a new import scheme undertaken by the Ta Hing Trading Co. Ltd. Arrived in the Dutch motor vessel Waiwerang on Monday evening.

The company has arranged to import selected Australian cattle from the Northern Territories of Australia.

A new cattle depot, which includes a modern slaughterhouse, special holding yards and a quarantine area, has been set up by the Company in an area situated between the village of I Pak and Tai Pak, Lantao Island.  

A pier has also been built and special races from the landing craft to the lairages have been established to maintain quarantine and to facilitate the movement of stock to the holding yards. After slaughter and inspection, the meat will be conveyed to markets in the urban areas by a refrigerated vessel.

Fresh Beef

The Company’s project aims at supplying fresh beef to Hongkong and promoting the further development of Lantao Island…

Source: South China Morning Post, page 6, 31st December 1958

Any information on this scheme from anyone would be great.

Here's some extra information from https://www.hkmaps.hk/ ...

This 1957 map shows the location of Tai Pak and Yi Pak, at today's Discovery Bay.

1957 Yi Pak and Tai Pak, Lantau
1957 Yi Pak and Tai Pak, Lantau, by Admin

 

Aerial photos from 1963 show a large pier and rectangular structures built near Tai Pak.

1963 Yi Pak and Tai Pak, Lantau
1963 Yi Pak and Tai Pak, Lantau, by Admin

 

Zooming in, it has the look of a cattle depot.

1963 Cattle Depot and Pier, Lantau
1963 Cattle Depot and Pier, Lantau, by Admin

 

The 1970 map shows the same structures, but labels them "Ta Hing (Poultry Farm)".

1970 Ta Hing poultry farm, Lantau
1970 Ta Hing poultry farm, Lantau, by Admin

 

The same outlines are visible on 1975 maps, then on the 1982 aerial photographs the construction of modern Discovery Bay is underway.

Today's Discovery Bay Plaza is built on the site of the old cattle depot / poultry farm.

Thanks David - I did not think of looking at maps for further clarity. I had to rely on my father's memory of visiting the place in his youth sometime in the 1950s and he thought it was somewhere in Discovery Bay but of course all traces of it have been been obliterated by the resort. And finding the newspaper clipping gave a more precise location and date.

There was a brief mention of this scheme in Sir David Ackers-Jones memoir: "Feeling the Stones: Reminiscences by David Ackers-Jones" on page 70 here although he incorrectly stated that no cattle was ever imported.

I have created a place for this brief and odd footnote of Lantau's history. 

Hi There,

So close.  I wonder if the Trappists then got their cows and bulls there.  I remember walking by their establishment back in the early 1980's.  The Bull in sight wasone of those over 1000 pounds ones, huge.

T