Ox Gallstones Reunion

MONDAY’S story about the theft of gallstones from a Queensland abattoir has sparked a lot of discussion. Many people are convinced that processors must be making a fortune from these elusive rocks, at the expense of beef producers.

However, there’s no denying that gallstones are extremely rare. This is why their value has always been so high.

Size

Gallstones can form in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be round, egg shaped, square or pyramid shaped and may also be tubes from the bile ducts. They can have a variety of colours, including brown, green, gold, yellow, white and pink.

In some countries, they are used in pharmacopeia as an ingredient in medical formulas because of their sedative, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties. They are highly prized by pharmaceutical companies, Chinese medicine practitioners and researchers around the world because they are valuable ingredients in the manufacture of alternative medicines.

Despite the growing demand for bovine gallstones, supply hasn’t kept up. But for those willing to invest some time and money, it can be a lucrative business opportunity.

One of the easiest ways to get started in this industry is through buying ox gallstones from local abattoirs. These are typically found in older slaughter animals and often in larger sized cattle like cows and bulls.

Many abattoirs are happy to let farmers bring in their ox gallstones for them to sell, and they often pay a high price for them. However, not all abattoirs will offer the same price and the payment depends on the quality of the stones and how they are preserved.

Another way to make money with ox gallstones is through selling them on the internet. The internet is a huge marketplace for this type of product, and it’s easy to find someone looking for your ox gallstones for sale.

If you want to make a profit by buying and selling ox gallstones, you’ll need to invest some time in researching the market and finding a buyer who will buy your ox gallstones for a good price. Then you’ll need to package and ship them to your buyers.

It’s important to remember that ox gallstones are extremely fragile, so you will need to take extra care when packing them for shipping. It is best to wrap them in tissue paper or bubble wrap, and then place them inside an airtight container. This will prevent them from being broken or smashed during shipping, and also ensures that they arrive in good condition. Always get a tracking number for your package and keep it in the safest place possible.

Shape

Gallstones are formed in a variety of shapes and sizes. These can range from round to egg shaped, pyramid shaped or even tube like and can be found in the liver, kidneys or bile ducts.

The value of a gallstone can run as high as 73 500 USD* per kilogram, depending on the stone’s size and the conditions in which it was stored. Ideally, it should be kept in a darkened location to avoid photosensitivity to bilirubin and a dehydrated state to reduce the likelihood of breakages.

This has prompted an industrywide initiative. Almost every abattoir in Australia now features a padlocked box (or a pair) and the requisite surveillance cameras to ensure that no guttie gets away with it. Among the innovations are the world’s most secure, waist high Gallstone and Bile Retrieval Units, which can be seen at work at some of Australia’s biggest abattoirs.

The most exciting innovation is the fact that it has actually piqued the interest of the Australian public. With the aid of the state of the art gallstone scavenger hunt, more and more meat lovers are discovering that this little gem is indeed a thing of beauty. The ensuing halo effect has helped to create a new and lucrative industry.

Dryness

Gallstones are hard deposits formed in the gallbladder, a small pouch-like organ on the right side of the abdomen that holds digestive fluid called bile. Normally, this fluid is released into your small intestine, but when a stone forms in the gallbladder or the ducts that lead to it, you may have symptoms such as abdominal pain (biliary colic) and yellowing of your skin and eyes.

Gallstones can form when bile contains too much cholesterol, too much bilirubin (the orange pigment produced in the liver and gallbladder during red blood cell breakdown), or they can form when there aren’t enough bile salts in the bile. They can also form when you have a hereditary disorder or when the ducts that carry bile are blocked. Symptoms of a gallstone obstructing a duct can include pain in the abdomen that lasts more than 1 hour and is severe or constant. In more severe cases, a procedure called keyhole surgery may be needed to remove the gallbladder.

The most commonly found type of gallstone are biliary calculi, or ‘pigment stones’, which are caused by a build-up of bilirubin. Pigment stones often develop in people with hereditary blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease or cirrhosis of the liver.

However, bilirubin can also occur naturally in the body during red blood cell breakdown, or as a result of the diet and lifestyle of cattle. Occasionally, a small amount of bilirubin can become stuck in the ducts leading from the gallbladder to the small intestine and cause a condition called choledocholithiasis.

If the bilirubin remains inside the duct, it can cause inflammation and eventually block it. This can lead to serious problems including a complication known as cholangitis, or pancreatitis.

Those who experience symptoms of a gallstone should see their health care professional as soon as possible, and have their bile ducts scanned using x-rays and upper gastroendoscopy. This test is more invasive than a normal doctor’s visit and involves several small instruments placed in your body.

The Chinese government has stepped up its nationalistic push to promote bilirubin-based medicines, and it’s no surprise that this has led to a rise in the demand for gallstones in Asia. It’s also prompted many abattoirs to start collecting gallstones from the kill floor, as a way to make money. In fact, Sunshine Trading–a Brisbane-based company that handles abattoirs across Australia–rakes in some 200 kilograms of ox gallstones every year.

Colour

MONDAY’s article about charges being laid against an abattoir employee for the theft of gallstones (click here to view original story) has aroused considerable interest among readers. It has also inspired a slew of reader comments.

Despite being a bovine byproduct, Gallstones are worth a fair old chunk of change in their own right. Depending on quality, shape and dryness, they can be worth a mint.

The value of a stone depends on its size, colour, dryness and its presence or absence of calcium inclusions. Whole, smooth, lustrous golden specimens attract the highest prices. Dark and pitted stones are of lower value, however.

Aside from their high market value, Ox Gallstones are also a good source of revenue for slaughterhouses and meat processing plants. It is estimated that in Australia alone, gallstones fetch up to $11.5 million USD on the grey market per year.

It’s a fairly common practice for abattoirs to rake in the most lucrative gallstones from older slaughter animals–especially cows and bulls, which have a higher concentration of the mineral. It’s also a good way to recoup some of the costs associated with running a slaughter plant, as gallstones are not expensive to transport and process.

What isn’t commonly known, however, is that many abattoirs will actually buy and sell the aforementioned ‘rocks’ for a fraction of their value, or even less. The price tag can vary from a few cents for small stones to tens of dollars for large ones, according to industry sources. Nevertheless, they are still the most lucrative bovine byproduct to ever hit an Australian abattoir’s kill floor. It’s a trend that’s likely to continue as gallstone demand continues to rise in China, where it is used for bilirubin-based medicines.

Ox Gallstones Reunion