Huge $11 million Neogen genomic testing lab to open at Ipswich

Ipswich will soon be home to Australia’s largest animal DNA testing laboratory, which will see up to one million tests conducted annually.

Australia’s livestock breeders are set to benefit from a huge multi-million-dollar facility poised for development at Ipswich.

Food and animal safety company Neogen Australiasia has begun converting a Bundamba site – formerly a University of Queensland campus – into a genomics centre worth $11 million.

A range of food diagnostic and biosecurity services will be provided for the agribusiness sector at the site, with more than one million tests for bacteria, allergens, toxins, and diseases expected to be carried out annually.

The purpose of the centre is to help breeders identify which animals in their herd have the greatest genetic potential, helping them to make better breeding decisions.

Treasurer and Trade and Investment Minister Cameron Dick said the new “world-leading” facility will create 25 local jobs over the next five years and 40 over the next decade.

“Neogen have become the most trusted name in Australia for animal genomics, conducting more than 35,000 tests a month so our producers can get the most out of their livestock,” Mr Dick said.

“This new facility will allow Neogen to perform up to one million tests annually, more than double Neogen’s current capacity, generating more Queensland employment, which is core to our economic recovery and growth as a state.”

Member for Bundamba Lance McCallum said Ipswich had a skilled local workforce and strong industry supply chains, so it was “easy to understand” why Neogen would consolidate its operations there.

Neogen Australasia general manager Dr Russell Lyons at Neogen's UQ Gatton campus facility when it opened in September 2018.

Neogen Australiasia senior director Bobby Creasman said the laboratory will allow for new technologies, such as skim-sequencing and expanded food diagnostic testing.

“Our future Bundamba facility will be at the forefront of ensuring greater accessibility of genomic tools at improved value to the cattle and sheep producer, while providing more information across the livestock production value chain,” Mr Creasman said.

It is anticipated the centre will improve the state’s food production and processing sector significantly.

“This facility will be a real asset for Queensland ag, particularly our prized beef industry,” Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said.

The announcement comes four years after Neogen set up its Australian office at UQ’s Gatton campus, and three years after the laboratory opened.

Construction of the new multimillion-dollar genomics facility is being supported through the Queensland government’s Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund.