BioMar’s Wesley Vale fish feed factory open to feed nation’s hungry aquaculture industry

Three years in the making, the major aquaculture distributor has opened its factory providing almost 100 jobs and exporting around the globe.

A MULTIMILLION-dollar factory built to feed Tasmania’s hungry aquaculture industry is now exporting fish food to the mainland, and the broader Oceania region.

BioMar Australia first unvieled plans to transform the old Wesley Vale particle board mill in 2017.

The $67 million factory was complete three years later and the first trucks of fish feed have started to roll out of the facility to support the Australian and Oceania aquaculture industry.

One in three salmon being farmed in Tasmanian waters are fed BioMar products but until now the fish food needed to be imported from Scotland

The plant will produce up to 110,000 tonnes of aqua feed each year, creating 55 full time jobs.

An additional 30 jobs will come through indirect support, operational, port services and logistic roles.

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BioMar Australia’s Managing Director David Whyte said the project had only been possible through local community support, the local contractors who developed the site and the co-operation and support of the Latrobe Council and Tasmanian Government.

“Despite COVID-19 affecting our plans for an official opening ceremony, it is business as usual production-wise with the adoption of key social distancing measures to ensure the wellbeing of BioMar employees,” Mr Whyte said.

There are currently 38 full time employees at the factory now it is up and running.

“With trials of our products underway in a variety of species on the mainland and New Zealand, we are bringing BioMar’s global best practices and nutritional know-how into our region helping to support sustainable innovation in aquaculture,” he said.

“This research and development work provides our state-of-the-art new facility with proven products that give us the opportunity to be much more than a fish feed mill.

“Globally aquaculture is a growing industry with growth expected to double by 2050, BioMar is committed to helping Tasmania and our wider region play an important role in this endeavour, supporting farmers to grow healthy, sustainable and safe food.”

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Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said the official opening of the factory was a

“a red letter day” for the agricultural industry in Tasmania and a huge jobs and economic boost for the state’s North-West.

“There has never been a more important time to generate an ongoing economic stimulus into the local economy than as we look to rebuild a stronger Tasmania,” Mr Barnett said.

“The Tasmanian Government supported this project with a $2.3 million assistance package. This operation will help build on our already world-class seafood industry and further cement Tasmania’s credentials in supplying aquaculture products to markets around the world.”