Thomas Foods International to spend more than $300 million to rebuild Murray Bridge abattoir

A REBUILD of Australia’s largest meat processing plant will be in excess of $300 million, but Thomas Foods International remains committed to the Murray Bridge community.

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A REBUILD of Australia’s largest meat processing plant will top $300 million, but Thomas Foods International remains committed to Murray Bridge.

Standing outside the fire-ravaged abattoir yesterday, company boss Darren Thomas yesterday outlined a bold, early vision to rebuild and make it “bigger, better and stronger”.

“We invested well over $300 million here in the plant and a rebuild is going to be in excess of that, so it’s a significant investment and great opportunity for SA,” Mr Thomas said.

SA Premier Steven Marshall, Thomas Foods CEO Darren Thomas and Adrian Pederick (Liberal for Hammond) in Murray Bridge. Picture: AAP/ Keryn Stevens

“It will be the largest multi-species plant in Australia, as it was before, and therefore we need to take the time to do this very carefully.

“The jobs that we will have here, I believe, will be in excess of what we had here before the fire.”

The abattoir had been the region’s largest employer with a workforce of 1400 people, before a devastating blaze tore through the processing facility on January 3.

“We’re working very closely with our insurers and we’re committed to this (rebuild) and whatever we do we’ll be bigger, better and stronger for,” Mr Thomas said.

The company, which has abattoirs in Tamworth and Lobethal, envisaged the rebuild to start before the end of the year, but it could take up to two years to complete. Mr Thomas, his father, Chris, and TFI general manager, David McKay, showed Premier Steven Marshall around the fire damaged buildings, which were described as “confronting”.

“This is a tragic set of circumstances, tragic for the people working here, the owners and shareholders and more broadly for ... the whole of South Australia,” Mr Marshall said.

Smoke rises into the air during the fire at the Thomas Foods International abattoir. Picture: AAP / Matt Loxton

He said yesterday’s meeting was to gain an insight on the company’s future plans and he would “absolutely” consider financial support.

“The Liberal Party has been backing regional SA for a long time and now we get the opportunity in government to demonstrate exactly what that means.”

The fire was caused accidentally when sparks from a welder working on an offal bin ignited material and which saw the blaze burn for more than a week. It took more than 100 firefighters to contain.