Australian pork processor Swickers has opened its processing facility in Kingaroy, Queensland, with an investment of A$64m ($43.4m).

The pork processing facility has received financial assistance from the Queensland Government’s A$175m ($118.7m) Jobs and Regional Growth Fund.

Queensland Minister for State Development and Manufacturing Cameron Dick said: “This government will always support jobs and growth in regional Queensland. In the wake of the devastating fire that ravaged the facility in late 2016, our government began working closely with Swickers.

“We didn’t just want to return the facility to full capacity, we wanted to support their expansion for the future and create more jobs for the people of Kingaroy and the South Burnett. What we see here today is one of the largest abattoirs in the Southern Hemisphere, which is a fantastic outcome for the company and the community.

“Swickers took the opportunity to not just rebuild the boning room but to invest in the transformation of the entire facility. And they’ve done so while incorporating state-of-the-art technology to improve efficiency.”

The expansion of on-site operations at Kingaroy has increased jobs from 570 to more than 800.

Owned by SunPork Group, Swickers is based in Kingaroy and is engaged in fresh pork processing. It distributes the processed pork to domestic and international markets.

SunPork Group managing director and CEO Dr Robert van Barneveld said: “Given the importance of this facility to the Australian pork industry, we decided to recognise the new processing floor commissioning with an open day for pork producers, wholesalers and our key retail customers.

“Many producers and wholesalers will rely on the efficiency and quality standards in our plant to maintain and develop their business well into the future.”

Additionally, the Jobs and Regional Growth Fund will support SunPork’s next project, which includes an upgrade of its piggery at Tong Park. This project is subject to the company’s final investment decision.

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