STATE unwillingness to fund a South West agri-food processing plant has meant a mining lease near Burekup is the most appropriate site for the proposed development.
South West Agri-Food Steering Committee spokeswoman Barbara Dunnet said the Doral-owned site, less than three kilometres from Burekup, was the only one the committee had looked at where the owners could provide financial backing
“The government is not looking to put money in,” Ms Dunnet said.
Ms Dunnet said Doral were offering private investment to get the project off the ground and were paying for a designer to ensure the plant was built to best-practice standards.
Doral signed a memorandum of agreement with the committee last month to work towards getting approval for the development.
The agreement was make a week before a public meeting about the proposal was held with Burekup residents.
Ms Dunnet said the facility was desperately needed in the South West.
“At the moment we’re sending 50,000 cattle through Ceduna to be processed in the eastern states,” she said.
“That’s half a year’s work for a single processing plant. We are exporting jobs out of Western Australia.”
Agriculture minister Terry Redman confirmed the State would not be funding the project but said the government was involved by providing technical advice through the agricultural department and South West Development Commission.
The project is estimated to create 12,000 jobs in the South West by 2030.
The project could be ready to build in 12 months time.
