A fortnight ago the plant recommenced operation after its annual shut down and its production will gradually rise from the existing daily capacity of 560 cattle to 750 head later this year.

The upgrade includes a complete refurbishment of the existing slaughter floor with new equipment and state-of-the-art design and logistics, making it possible to process over 100 head an hour.

A new 1000 tonne cold store and plate freezer complex has been installed to provide more days of carcase storage, along with the refurbishment of a chilled carton store with a capacity of 500t.

The new rendering and co-product facilities have also doubled in their throughput capacity.

* Extract from a full report in Stock Journal, August 27 issue.