News & Media: Murray Bridge meat processing plant to employ thousands after old abattoir gutted by fire
Murray Bridge meat processing plant to employ thousands after old abattoir gutted by fire
A new meat processing plant outside Adelaide is expected to employ up to 2,000 workers, replacing a major abattoir that was largely destroyed by fire 18 months ago.
Key points:
- The existing plant employed about 1,500 workers before the huge blaze
- A new plant is expected to be up and running by the end of 2020
- The SA and Federal Governments will jointly invest $24 million
A site has been selected outside Murray Bridge, east of Adelaide, to replace the Thomas Foods International abattoir which was engulfed by flames in January 2018.
The project is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, with an additional $24 million in government funding to create roads and other key infrastructure.
The 2018 fire left hundreds of local workers in limbo, and took dozens of firefighters days to control.
The plant was a major local source of jobs, employing about 1,500 workers at the time of the fire, but that number was reduced to just 60.
Thomas Foods chief executive officer Darren Thomas said the company had selected a "greenfield site" about 10 kilometres outside of Murray Bridge.
"We're not going to rebuild overnight, but we're hoping to have the facility up and running, in its first stage, by the end of next year," he said.
"We want our facility to be world-class in adapting the latest advancements in technology, efficiency, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and workplace safety."
Supplied: Thomas Foods International
)Unemployment in the Murray Bridge region has fluctuated in recent years, and there were fears the fire would have a major economic impact on the town.
The new plant will employ a workforce of about 2,000, including 400 workers who will be "required in the initial stages of production", the company said.
"At the previous site we employed around 1,500, 1,600 people and that would swell in peak times," Mr Thomas said.
"We would hope that this would be of a grander scale."
Taxpayers to fork out for cost of new roads
Premier Steven Marshall said the State and Federal Governments would jointly invest $24 million in supporting projects which would allow construction to begin.
"There were rumours going around that this plant might be relocated to Victoria or other parts of the country," he said.
"This was necessary to get this project across the line."
Supplied: Thomas Foods International
)Murray Bridge Mayor Brenton Lewis said the fire had caused a major economic impact to the region, and the commitment to building a new plant would attract people back to the town.
"They emerged to be our number one employer from a very humble beginning," he said.
"We've become very much a multicultural community and that's been brought about by their strategy of having a skilled workforce.
"We've needed to bring skilled migrants from around the nation and internationally to Murray Bridge."
