{"id":113804,"date":"2015-07-10T01:26:53","date_gmt":"2015-07-09T15:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=113804"},"modified":"2020-11-12T11:26:59","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T01:26:59","slug":"swickers-unveils-huge-upgrade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/10\/swickers-unveils-huge-upgrade\/","title":{"rendered":"Swickers Unveils Huge Upgrade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Swickers Senior Standards Inspector Damien Obst measures the eye muscle area of a carcase … Swickers is the only pork export facility in Queensland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Swickers CEO Ross Ingram … ‘Swickers has gone from strength to strength as a business’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 10, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

A multi-million\u00a0dollar upgrade at Swickers’ Kingaroy pig abattoir will have the potential to lift production at the plant to 30,000 head per week.<\/p>\n

The upgrade, announced on Thursday, includes a new slaughter floor, a greater chiller capacity and an expansion of the distribution area.<\/p>\n

It will increase plant capacity by 50 per cent, allowing Swickers to meet expected rises in demand for pork both in Australia and overseas.<\/p>\n

Swickers is the only pork export facility in Queensland and the largest individual pork export facility in Australia.<\/p>\n

CEO Ross Ingram said the substantial investment was critical to the\u00a0local community as well as the Queensland pig farming industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSwickers is one of the major employers in the region, with employees demonstrating a diverse range of skills,” he said.<\/p>\n

Swickers is owned by the CHM Alliance, a farmer-owned group which has invested a significant amount in the Kingaroy plant over recent years to upgrade facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs demand for Australian pork continues to grow we feel this investment will see us ready to meet the expected increased volume demands,\u201d Mr Ingram said.<\/p>\n

The latest expansion is also linked to the $2.2 million upgrade of the nearby\u00a0Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road and Clark and Swendson Road intersection detailed by the South Burnett Regional Council in its recent Budget.<\/p>\n

In January, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington announced the State Government would be providing $1.5 million towards the project under the\u00a0\u201cRoyalties for Regions\u201d program. This has since been confirmed by the new ALP State Government.<\/p>\n

The roadworks are designed to improve traffic flow around the Swickers site, and handle increased traffic volume.<\/p>\n

Currently 65 trucks and\u00a0400 employee vehicles enter and leave Swickers every day.<\/p>\n

Related article:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n