Eight years after its inception and almost 12 months after construction began, the Murray Plains Meat Co-Operative’s micro abattoir is reaching the final stages of licensing approval. 

The project will enable producers to have full control of the supply chain to ensure the ethical treatment of their animals and to value add their produce.  

The construction of the facility was overseen by Steve Tamplin of Tablelands Meats, who has extensive experience in owning and operating a micro abattoir.  

Construction of the build was delayed due to an administrative error that saw the land on which the abattoir was to be built classified as ‘community land’ instead of ‘operational land’.

In having the land reclassified, a public hearing was held on February 3, 2022. The meeting, run by independent chair Mark Dalzell, Director Infrastructure, Edward River Council, found in favour of the reclassification after addressing the concerns raised.

In recent weeks, Murray Plains Meat Co-Operative director and chairperson Lauren Mathers stood down from her positions on the board and discussions are underway to appoint an external chairperson moving forward. 

The facility will process a wide variety of animals from poultry up to beasts with a maximum live weight of 500kg.