Aviagen Australia fully invested in new facilities at Gouldburn

Construction of Aviagen Farms progresses at Gouldburn, Australia.
Aviagen Australia's plans to move its operations to Gouldburn are progressing well, with the project expected to be completed before the end of 2014. Aviagen broke ground in August 2013 on a recently acquired 850 acre block of land for a new five-farm facility designed to produce a growing supply of breeding stock for the future broiler industry in Australia.
The project has now progressed following the construction of a new 4-kilometer road and a complete power supply into the property. Multiple poultry sheds have sprung up all the way along the road with Farm 5 housing the future great grandparent stock set for completion in March and for the immediate placement of birds ready to go into production. This will be followed later in March by the three houses on Farm 2 and an additional three houses on Farm 3 during April. The project will reach completion when all the sheds on Farm 1 at the entrance of the property and the two sheds on Farm 4 are standing and equipped for the initial intake of birds. The company office will also be relocated and established in Goulburn over the coming months.
The new Braidwood Road farm is anticipated to be in full production in the fourth quarter of 2013 and will supply in time roughly half of the Ross 308 parent stock volume required for the local market. The planning has been extensive with the completion of an environmental impact report designed to ensure zero effect on the environment through effective management of water runoff and also extensive separation of houses with the purchase of over 4 times the minimum area land normally required for a commercial operation.  Setbacks are a minimum of at least 200 meters for the poultry sheds which consist of high quality design and components.  Poured concrete floors, sandwich panel walls filled with fire retardant foam and smooth easy to clean surfaces, completely housed cables and a curved ceiling designed to optimize ventilation all contribute to the new, efficient production facility.
Aviagen has a history of investing in the rural communities not only through the acquisition of land and construction of production facilities, but also in hiring and training local people to fill good quality jobs in production, hatchery, technical service and administrative functions in the company. The farm alone is planning to increase staff by recruiting for 14 new jobs and by the end of 2015 another 15 jobs are likely when the new hatchery in Goulburn is expected to be finished.
"We are pleased with the progress on the production unit and the location, The lack of any poultry production facilities in the nearby area, a short one-hour by road to the feed mill, two hours to Sydney and a strong interest in jobs from the local community all contribute to a desirable mix for running our day-to-day business," commented Peter Hanna, general manager of Aviagen Australia.