Leading poultry meat producer in Australia, Ingham’s Group Ltd., has announced plans to expand in the state of Western Australia.
To meet demand in the region with locally produced products, the firm will sell its existing feed and hatchery site at Wanneroo, and begin construction of a new feed mill at Muchea, near Perth. Adding 400 jobs to the local economy, the new feed plant is due for completion by 2020, and a new hatchery is also planned for the area.
Chief Commercial Officer Quinton Hildebrand said the new investments of more than AUD70 million (US$52 million) will contribute to the company’s strategy to expand its farming, feed milling and processing volumes in Western Australia over the next three years.
Ingham’s achieved strong volume growth of almost 13 percent in poultry meat sales during the first half of its fiscal year (ending December 24, 2016), according to financial report.
CEO Mick McMahon commented that the first stage of the firm’s plans for greater automation had been achieved, with an expanded hatchery at Murraylands in South Australia already operational, and increased breeder capacity ongoing. Work had already started on a new feed mill at Murray Bridge.
As well as being Australia and New Zealand’s top poultry meat producer, processing four million birds per week, Ingham’s operates 10 feed mills, breeder and broiler farms, seven primary processing plants, seven further processing facilities, and nine distribution centers.
In November 2016, the firm was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. This week, Inghams Group Ltd. announced that Helen Nash had been appointed to the board as a non-executive director, chairing the Remuneration Committee.
