Council members cite concerns about noise, odor and traffic issues
The city council of Wanneroo, Western Australia, is unanimously opposed to the renewal of the license that allows Ingham’s Group to operate its feed mill there.
Last week, Perth Now reported that the city was seeking input from the public on the license renewal. The existing license will expire on October 7. The company said it still plans to close the feed mill and hatchery at the location by December 2022, even though plans to build a new feed mill in Muchea were blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020. The company has since made alternative arrangements for pelleting operations, and the city said that if the license were renewed, it would be set to expire in December 2022.
Wanneroo City Council members voted unanimously on April 20 that it would object to the renewal application. According to Perth Now, feed mill manager Jaffer Alimohamed asked council members if they would reconsider if Ingham’s provided an exit strategy for the closure of the facility in 2022.
Locals have complained about noise and odor from the feed mill, as well as traffic issues. The city says Ingham’s operations were delaying development near the town center.
Ingham’s still has hatchery operations at the site, which it has plans to relocate to a AUD20 million (US$15.5 million) facility under construction in Muckenburra that would accommodate up to 1.5 million day-old chicks and create 20 jobs.
According to Feed Strategy’s Top Companies database, Inghams Enterprises Pty. Ltd. is one of Australia’s largest producers of poultry meat. Ingham Feeds & Nutrition is the company’s feed division, and has 12 feed mills that produced 1 million metric tons of feed in 2019.
