Thomas Foods to start build of $300m abattoir in Murray Bridge

Three years after a devastating fire destroyed Thomas Foods International’s abattoir in Murray Bridge, work is set to start on a $300m replacement facility.

Thomas Foods International (TFI) will start building a new abattoir near Murray Bridge next month after appointing a builder to oversee the $300m project.

South Australian construction company Badge has been engaged to kick off the first stage of the project, which will include beef processing and animal handling facilities, a boning room, stockyards, administration facilities and chilled storage areas.

About 500 jobs will be created as part of the first stage.

The new state-of-the-art facility will replace the company’s original plant, which was destroyed by a massive fire in January 2018.

Thomas Foods chief executive Darren Thomas. Picture: Brad Fleet

Thomas Foods chief executive Darren Thomas said it would set a new benchmark for technology, efficiency, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and workplace safety.

“We look forward to now working alongside Badge, a fellow South Australian family-owned company, in creating what will become a global showcase of advanced food manufacturing,” he said.

“The fire, as devastating and disruptive as it was, has given us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly special.

“We have been determined since day one not just to replace the facility at Murray Bridge but to build something bigger and better.

“We want it to be the most advanced multi-species meat processing facility of its kind in

Australia, if not the world.”

The new meatworks facility will be built at a greenfield site at Pallamana, 10km north of Murray Bridge.

Artist's impression of Thomas Foods new $300m abattoir near Murray Bridge.

Construction of the first stage is expected to be completed over the next two years, and will have an initial capacity of up to 600 head of beef a day.

Subsequent stages will include sheep and lamb processing facilities, and a further expansion of the beef facilities, taking the total capacity to 1200 head of beef and 15,000 head of sheep and lambs per day.

That compares with the old plant’s 11,000 sheep and 1200 cattle.

Following completion of future stages, the project is expected to support more than 2000 jobs.

Badge managing director Jim Whiting said the “landmark” project would create significant economic benefits to the region and the state.

“Our company has a 38-year history working in the food and beverage industry and we have an existing relationship with the Thomas family, having recently completed TFI’s Adelaide head office building,” he said.

A devastating fire destroyed the Thomas Foods abattoir in 2018. Picture: AAP / Roy Vandervegt

“We will be working with many other great South Australian businesses, including Ahrens, who will be supplying all the specialised structural steel for the project, and we see many other opportunities for local subcontractors as construction gets underway.”

A new 2.2km public link road between Mannum Road and the development site is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Record cattle prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have underlined a challenging year for TFI, which turned over close to $2 billion in the 12 months to June.

Its global operations make it the state’s second biggest privately-owned company.