30 | Farm to double size Australian based Agright is doubling the size of its free range Rakaia chicken farm to meet the demand of the New Zealand market. Agright T T Rosa Watson REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The multi-million dollar expansion of a free-range chicken farm facility just south of Rakaia will go some way to meeting the ever-increasing consumer demand for chicken meat. The facility, located on Rakaia Highway near Chertsey, that is owned by Australian-based Agright, is an existing site on 112 hectares with eight sheds of free-range meat chickens. An additional eight sheds will be added this year, taking the site to a total of 16 sheds, with consent to house 830,000 birds, and producing around 4.5 million chickens per year for the New Zealand market. Agright chief executive Daniel Bryant said the development is expected to cost approximately $20 million and will be operational from August 2024. It would make a huge contribution to the supply of chicken meat, he said. “Chicken meat consumption increases by (around) three per cent each year. We currently eat (around) 46 kilogrammes per person, per year,” Daniel said. Additional development was needed across New Zealand in the future to meet this growing demand, he said. “With consumption and population growth, 12 to 15 new sheds need to be built every year in New Zealand to meet demand.” Agright is a leading poultry grower operating in New Zealand and Australia that develops high-quality agricultural infrastructure with in-house design and construction capabilities, and operates poultry farms under secure long-term contracts with leading poultry processors. Its market-leading facilities incorporate best practice in animal welfare and sustainability. Daniel said animal welfare and sustainability are core design features when establishing farms. “Free range facilities that are SPCA accredited produce best in class welfare outcomes and production efficiencies. “All Agright facilities in New Zealand have solar power and battery storage capability and deliver approximately 80 per cent of total electricity demand.” The company acquired the existing eight shed farm and land in 2022 with the intention to expand its New Zealand operations with options to develop new facilities. It was an attractive option as it had an existing farm and surplus land with it. The company has no plans to develop the site further. It found the consent process extremely challenging, which resulted in the project being delayed by 12 months, Daniel said. Agright is currently in the process of developing a number of facilities in New Zealand and Australia. The Rakaia farm will supply the New Zealand market, and will employ three full-time equivalent employees once constructed, with two families living on site. Daniel said the local economy would be bolstered with the addition of the new facility. “Numerous local trades and suppliers will be engaged to develop the new farm and to provide ongoing maintenance and support services post construction.” Its second New Zealand chicken farm facility is located at Wardville near Waharoa, which has six free range sheds and was constructed in 2020. Manufactured By: Advantage Plastics Limited 0800 668 534 or info@adplasnz.com www.smartsilo.co.nz Proudly Supporting Agright! 03 308 6022 30 JB Cullen Drive Ashburton Business Estate RIÀ FH#UD\PD\QH FR Q] ZZZ UD\PD\QH FR Q] Ray Mayne Hose and Fittings has been working in irrigation for 32 years. We’ve been Reinke Manufacturing dealers since 2000, operating from our headquarters in Ashburton Business Estate. Our team handles everything related to irrigation, including design, sales, installation, and maintenance. We’re excited to announce that we’re now the CropX distributor for the South Island. This SDUWQHUVKLS ZLWK &URS; D WHFKQRORJ\ OHDGHU LQ LUULJDWLRQ DQG VRLO PRQLWRULQJ LV D VLJQLÀ FDQW step for us. We believe it will play a key role in shaping the future of irrigation in our region. Additionally, ZH·UH KRQRXUHG WR VXSSRUW $JULJKW 1= 2SFR As part of our commitment to advancing agricultural practices, we’ve teamed up with CropX and Reinke to make it easy for users to access data and insights through the CropX and ReinCloud™ apps. 5D\ 0D\QH +RVH DQG )LWWLQJV (PEUDFH 6PDUW $JULFXOWXUH
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