Narrogin site to become sheep feedlot

Livestock Shipping Services has acquired land at Narrogin, which it will use to develop a pre-export quarantine sheep feedlot this year.

The new 59ha site, which was previously leased and operated by Craig Mostyn Group, is adjacent to Jordanian-owned LSS’ pre-export quarantine cattle feedlot at Dumberning, south of Narrogin, which has the capacity to hold 10,000 animals.

LSS-owned Hillside Meat Processors general manager Campbell Ferris said the company was now working through the regulatory issues ahead of its new property being purposed as a sheep feedlot.

LSS hopes the feedlot would carry from 15,000 sheep upwards, subject to regulatory approval. The new land expands on LSS’ current sheep feedlot, which can carry up to 100,000 sheep at Amberley, near Kojonup.

External sources say LSS paid $465,000 for the land, which was sold by Elders at public auction.

LSS’ land purchase follows more than a $3 million investment in recent years at Halal-certified Hillside Meat Processors.

The investment enabled the establishment of a boning room at Malaga and modernising of the Narrogin processing facility, increasing productivity by about 30 per cent.

“The latest feedlot investment and works we have done to upgrade and expand our processing solidifies LSS’ commitment to the industry, in particular the southern wheatbelt,” Mr Ferris said.

“Our investment at Narrogin includes an inverted dressing system. Whereas we use to do about 1400-1600 animals daily, we now process more than 2000.”

Mr Ferris said about 20 per cent of annual production was sent to the boning room at Malaga, which received its tier one listed export licence late last year.

He said Hillside also embarked on a further $400,000 investment in new refrigeration technology at its Narrogin facility, which should be complete mid-year.