Thomas Food International breaks ground on new $300m processing plant in Murray Bridge

One of SA’s biggest employers has broken ground on a new $300 million plant, revealing new video of the facility that will need thousands of workers.

Work has begun on the rebuilding of the Thomas Foods International processing plant at Murray Bridge.

The official sod-turning event yesterday marked the start of building works on the greenfield site that will be transformed into a world-class, $300 million meat processing facility.

Thomas Foods International Chief Executive chief executive Darren Thomas was joined by South Australian Premier, The Hon Steven Marshall along with others and state, federal and local community leaders at the event held less than three years after a devastating Murray Bridge plant fire.

Darren Thomas said the property, located 10km outside of the Murray Bridge town centre, was the ideal location for the new flagship facility, which is estimated will create more than 2000 jobs.

A concept image of the new processing plant in Murray Bridge.

“We see this becoming the most advanced multi-species meat processing facility of its kind in Australia, if not the world,” he said.

“It will service our global operations for decades to come.

“This represents the single largest investment by our company in its history.

“However, we wouldn’t be here today without the amazing support from our staff, suppliers, customers, political leaders and the local community.”

Construction of the project will be overseen by Australia’s largest privately-owned builders, BADGE, which was appointed to undertake the design and construction of Stage One last month.

The initial construction phase will take around 24 months and, once completed, will have a processing capacity of up to 600 head per day.

Darren Thomas of Thomas Foods at his property in the Hay Valley near Nairne. Picture: Brad Fleet

“Our company made a commitment on day one of the fire to rebuild,” Mr Thomas said.

“We said we’d come back bigger, better and stronger.

“Since then, we’ve focused on fulfilling that promise. We’ve faced droughts and a global

pandemic along the way but we’ve persevered and maintained a positive outlook.”

Based in Adelaide, TFI also owns meat processing plants in Tamworth and Lobethal and is Australia’s largest 100 per cent family-owned meat processing company.

In May it also announced it had acquired a 50 per cent stake in the Victoria-based Frew group, which owns a modern meat processing plant in the western Victorian town of Stawell.