300-plus jobs in $20m mill plans

Almost 300 jobs will flow from a proposed $20 million feed mill at Lara, federal MPs have announced.
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane and Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson said the project would create about 250 jobs during construction and 20 ongoing.
“This new mill is good news for Lara, local poultry and pig farmers as well as cereal grain growers,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“The project will support the Golden Plains Food Production Precinct, sited between Geelong and Ballarat, by providing a local, cost-effective supply of livestock food.”
Ms Henderson said the mill would also create 25 “downstream” jobs.
The Ridley Agriproducts mill received $800,000 in funding from a Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund, set up to help offset job losses in the city’s manufacturing sector.
Ridley boss Tim Hart welcomed the assistance as “an important component in the financial considerations for the project”.
“We are working hard to secure the planning approvals and customer commitments required for the new feed mill project to be commercially viable,” he said.
“We remain excited about having a poultry and pig presence covering the western districts, about the long-term prospects for livestock production in the region and about generating new employment opportunities for Geelong.”