AACo confirms $90m northern abattoir will be built

The Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) says an abattoir proposed for Darwin's rural area will be constructed by the end of next year.

The recent departure of AACo chief executive David Farley had raised doubts about whether the $90 million abattoir would be built.

Chairman Donald McGauchie told the company's annual general meeting in Brisbane this week that the board has now given full approval for the project.

"This is a sophisticated facility," he said.

"It has got to be constructed properly, it's got to be run properly and the product has got to be marketed.

" All of those things are issues that we are acutely aware of.

"We are very comfortable we've got the right strategies and the right risk management strategies in place to make this work."

It is expected that the abattoir will process about 200,000 head of cattle a year, drawn from the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland.

Territory Primary Industry Minister Willem Westra van Holthe says the Livingstone Valley facility is expected to employ about 270 people.

It will be the only major abattoir operating in the far north of Australia.

Source: ABC News, 22 August 2013