By NOEL MURPHY
AGRICULTURAL hopes for the region have taken a key step forward with the start of a 18-kilometre water pipeline to Lethbridge where new farming enterprises promise hundreds of jobs.
A new intensive agriculture precinct in the district will include poultry, pig and goat farming for meat and dairy production.
The pipeline will supply water over 4000 hectares to boost existing farms and lure new producers.
Authorities hoped to attract $160 million of new investment, creating 770 jobs over the next decade.
Western Victoria MP David O’Brien said agriculture already employed about a quarter of the Golden Plains Shire workforce.
“This project will create new export opportunities and make the intensive agriculture sector more sustainable and resilient in the face of changing economic and environmental conditions,” he said.
“The precinct has a number of competitive advantages, being near meat and dairy processors, close to markets and feedstock providers. It also has a growing number of intensive farming businesses already in the precinct, appropriate land use zoning, good transport links and a pool of suitable labour.
“However, the precinct’s growth has been hampered by the lack of an adequate water supply, which is what this project will address.”
The precinct could become a significant economic driver as key players in the region’s $10 billion manufacturing sector closing or face closure.
