AACo’s Northern Beef Plant Begins Full Operations
AUSTRALIA - The Australian Agricultural Company Limited (AACo) has started full commercial operations at Livingstone Beef, its new northern beef processing plant south of Darwin.
4 November 2014
2 minute read
AACo Managing Director Jason Strong said the A$91 million facility, which will produce high quality chilled and frozen boxed manufacturing beef, had received the final approved environmental protection licence from the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority.
The approvals finalise the requirements for the commercial sale and shipping of beef from the plant.
“AACo began commissioning the plant in September as planned, and these approvals are the latest step in what has been a well planned and executed northern development project,” he said.
“We are proud that the plant, now known as Livingstone Beef, has been completed on time and on budget.
“Getting these significant sign offs completed at this early stage in the process provides us with confidence in meeting our next major milestone, which is having the capability to operate a full shift, processing 520 head a day, in March 2015.
“We are also proud of the capability of the company to comply with the 78 conditions of the environmental licence – the first of its kind in decades for a new meat processing facility.”
Mr Strong said Livingstone Beef was a key strategic step for AACo in securing processing capacity to supply the finest quality Australian beef to the world.
“Livingstone Beef will allow AACo to capture more value along its entire supply chain,” he said.
“It also provides another channel to market for northern beef producers, who until now have had limited local sale options.”
The plant has the capacity to process 1000 head of cattle a day and will eventually employ about 320 people.
AACo will initially provide most of the cattle to the facility, with other northern producers supplying cattle to the facility over time.
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