A Darling Downs piggery is looking to almost double its size from 76,820 standard pig units to 136,320, with construction hoping to start next year.
The proposed expansion of the SP Northern Farming Operations piggery at Lundavra, 60 kilometres north of Goondiwindi, includes the building of new infrastructure such as weaner, grower and finisher sheds.
Currently it is subject to approval by Goondiwindi Regional Council, Western Downs Regional Council and the State Assessment and Referral Agency.
Council is accepting public submissions regarding the application until July 27.
SP Northern is owned by Goondiwindi's Cameron family, who, along with the Hall and McLean families, are the shareholders of The Sunpork Group of Companies.
The Lundavra property includes four land parcels totalling 9051 hectares.
The existing piggery consists of four separate units: Lapunyah, Wilga Ridge, Limebush, and Quarantine.
Lapunyah would be a 1650-sow farrow-to-finish unit which includes a breeder herd with progeny from this herd grown out at the same site.
The expanded Limebush unit would be grow-out units capable of receiving 2150 weaners per week.
Wilga Ridge would also be a grow-out unit capable of receiving 1075 weaners per week.
SP Northern estimated the expansion would increase employment from 30 staff to 38.
At the full expansion capacity, it was estimated an average of two to three trucks would access the property each day - up from one truck per day.
There is a total of 950 megalitres per year of licensed groundwater available to the property, with the final capacity of the proposed piggery requiring approximately 325ML/year of clean water. Further bores would be constructed in the future to realise all groundwater allocations.
Read more: Western Downs piggery on track to expand
GRC Mayor Laurence Springborg said the application would be properly assessed by council officers and a recommendation made in due course.
"This is assessed against our planning scheme; it's not assessed against extraneous considerations or desires of a range of people who may just not like an industry," Mr Springborg said.
"Notwithstanding that, the applicants have been exemplary corporate citizens in our area and they've contributed an enormous amount to our economy over a long period of time, both directly and also with employment, and the community very much appreciates that.
"The intensive animal industry in our area is a major and growing industry and it's generally contributed a lot to the economy in general.
"Our planning department considers these things based on the application and its consistency and relativity to our planning scheme. And obviously, we have a planning scheme that already facilitates a significant amount of growing intensive animal industry to meet broader demand within the community."
Pork Queensland president John Coward said investments like the one proposed benefitted communities by way of diversification, employment and biosecurity.
"The bottom line is, any advancement in building and meeting the supply and demand through modern facilities, particularly in the rural areas, is fantastic because it diversifies the industry so that you haven't got it concentrated into certain areas," Mr Coward said.
"I think keeping in tune with demand is important, but for a rural area, it's got to be a positive that it looks to maintain and keep employment in those regional areas.
"From a biosecurity point of view, diversity of our industry is important - so that's a positive from that side."
Animal rights groups PETA and Animal Liberation Queensland have voiced their opposition to the expansion.
ALQ campaign manager Amanda Holly said they were concerned about the biosecurity risks, nearby school, animal welfare, groundwater, wildlife and pollution.
"Factory farms such as this development have a detrimental impact on the biodiversity of the local area, threaten human health and indigenous heritage and result in the cruel and unnatural confinement of millions of animals, and these all are broadly held public concerns," Ms Holly said.
She said local councils had a responsibility to seriously consider these broader public concerns when making decisions that would impact many Australians.
"Business and industry interests should not outweigh the importance of protecting the environment, community health, and promoting higher welfare standards for animals."
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