Baiada has opened a new poultry processing facility near Tamworth in regional New South Wales, with the $600 million plant designed to process up to 3 million chickens a week when fully operational.
The Oakburn facility opened on 16 September and is designed around two processing lines, each capable of handling up to 15,000 birds an hour. The site is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs when operating at full capacity.
The development has been presented as a major investment in Tamworth and in Australia’s growing poultry industry. Baiada, which owns brands including Steggles and Lilydale Free Range, has operated in the region since the 1960s.
The company says the new facility uses automated processing, packaging, cold-storage and traceability systems. Its operations also include technology designed to improve efficiency and quality.
However, the opening has renewed questions about animal welfare standards in Australia’s poultry industry.
Jed Goodfellow, director of policy and government relations at the Australian Alliance for Animals, told Guardian Australia that the modern design of the building did not necessarily mean the welfare model behind it had changed.
One issue raised by animal welfare advocates is the rapid growth of chickens bred for meat production. Goodfellow said slower-growing breeds are being used in parts of Europe and argued that this could provide different welfare outcomes.
Melina Tensen, senior scientific officer for farm animals at the RSPCA, said about 97{0931a9b6576c5d87fe846c236d3725957ace4ff7894c2ecd00b9029ccfe6a5f9} of chicken meat sold in Australia follows the organisation’s welfare standards. She said the focus should remain on how animals are raised, handled, transported and slaughtered.
The NSW government’s assessment of the Tamworth project approved a facility with capacity for up to 3 million birds a week. The assessment also included provisions covering environmental management, biosecurity and animal welfare.
At full capacity, the Tamworth plant would represent a significant share of Australia’s chicken processing industry. The facility is part of Baiada’s broader expansion of its poultry production and processing operations.
The debate around the plant therefore extends beyond its architecture and regional economic impact, with animal welfare groups questioning whether advances in processing technology should also be matched by changes in how chickens are bred, raised and handled.
Source: The Guardian; NSW Department of Planning and Environment.
