A proposal to establish a kangaroo processing plant at Inglewood should be refused on the grounds it does not qualify as a rural industry within the planning zone, according to an officer's report submitted to Loddon Shire Council.
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Councillors will meet at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 26 to decide whether or not to allow the processing plant to go ahead.
However, shire strategic planner Carolyn Stephenson - in her report to council - recommends the application be refused.
The proposal seeks to establish the plant on the site of an old abattoir, one kilometre south of the Inglewood township on the west side of the Dunolly-Inglewood Road (Tarnagulla Rd). The land is zoned for Rural Living.
There are still some buildings on the 21-hectare site related to its previous use as an abattoir from 1971 to 2015. There are no plans to build any new buildings to accommodate the processing plant.
Applicant David Preece of Campaspe Meat Company intends to use the land for processing of field-killed and dressed kangaroo, deer and other wild game.
In her report, Ms Stephenson said while the property had previously been used as an abattoir, any former entitlements to use this land in this way had expired.
Under the proposal, 500 tonnes of wild game meat would be processed at the site per year, which is equivalent to 1000 carcasses per week.
Of that total, 500 to 600 carcasses would be sourced from interstate which the rest coming from around Victoria.
Kangaroos would arrive at the site gutted, bled and their heads removed. Operations at the site would be limited to skinning and boning of carcasses and the meat would be further processed and packaged at another site and used for pet food.
There would be 10 staff at the Inglewood site from 6am to 6pm on weekdays and from 6am to 6pm on weekends during peak times.
Utes would access the site three to five times a night from 4am to dawn delivering 300 to 400 carcasses per week. Refrigerated trucks would arrive two to three times per week mid-morning delivering 500 to 600 carcasses from interstate.
Refrigerated trucks would remove the processed carcasses from the site daily.
Up to 1400 litres of wastewater would be generated per week at the plant. Wastewater in the pit would be placed in sealed containers and transported off site for recycling or disposal.
There are five dwellings within 500 metres of the site.
Council received 106 objections (including a number of petitions) to the proposal as well as two submissions in support.
In her report to council, Ms Stephenson said the application relied on the proposed use falling within the definition of 'rural industry' allowed in the Rural Living Zone.
She points out that rural industry refers to products grown and produced on the land.
"(Based on) a review of VCAT decisions, the proposed use of the site is for secondary processing of carcasses that are not produced on that site," Ms Stephenson said.
"As such, the proposal does not meet meet the definition of a rural industry and instead falls within the definition of industry, which is a prohibited use within the Rural Living Zone."
Council will discuss the proposal at its meeting in the Loddon Shire Council Chambers at Wedderburn on Tuesday, April 26.
The council meeting starts at 3pm.
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