By CASEY NEILL
A REFURBISHED $30 million abattoir in Dandenong South will create almost 400 new jobs.
Australian Meat Group managing director Gilbert Cabral said the Hammond Road premise had been closed since 2011.
“We purchased the site earlier this year, formerly from Castricum Brothers who operated the site as a lamb operation,” he said.
“We are refurbishing and converting it into a beef operation.
“We are building a brand new cold store to handle all our export containers.”
Premier Dennis Napthine announced the project last Thursday.
He said it would provide processing facilities for the domestic and Asian export markets and create more than 230 jobs in its first years and more than 370 down the track.
Mr Cabral said the State Government was contributing “modest assistance which will go towards training and induction” to the private project.
Australian Meat Group (AMG) is a newly-formed company.
“We were formerly owners of a company called Tasman Meat Group,” Mr Cabral said.
“We sold to a multinational.
“After a period of non-compete we’ve come back into the industry.
“We’re a fresh new team but we’ve got extensive experience in the meat industry.”
He said he’d been familiar with the Dandenong South site for a long time.
“We’ve operated with Castricums before,” he said.
“The Castricums constructed a very sound abattoir and it comes with all the licensing.
“It makes it a lot easier for us to refurbish and operate.”
Mr Cabral hopes the operation will be up and running early next year.
In June last year, Castricum Food Service managing director Gary Castricum told the Journal that selling the 6.88 hectare Dandenong South facility had been in the works since the company closed its abattoir in 2011.
The high Australian dollar hampering export opportunities, years of drought forcing up stock prices, the need to upgrade the 25-year-old facility and family retirements brought about the decision.
“It was difficult times for a while there,” Mr Castricum said.
Castricums has been operating a retail outlet on the site since and will continue to do so through a lease arrangement with new owner AAD Recycling Services.
“And we’ll be there for some time yet,” Mr Castricum said.
