In the feed bunker of a South Australian cattle station sits 10 tonnes of chocolate, smelling something like cheesecake mixed with dung.

Mayura Station in Millicent in the state’s south-east uses leftover chocolate from a nearby factory to feed its wagyu herd.

“What we’ve got here is a bit of a proprietary blend,” Mayura Station’s Scott de Bruin said.

“We’ve got a few M&Ms, some Smarties, a few blocks of chocolate broken up, crushed chocolate, and biscuit meal.”

High-fat products such as molasses are usually used by cattle farmers to help in the fattening process.

Instead, Mr de Bruin sourced chocolate from a closer factory and says they have not looked back.

“Our customers started to tell us that our beef had this really unique flavour and was different to anything else they were tasting in the marketplace,” he said.