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Qld kangaroo meat processing ramps up with new facilty

Barco Queensland has opened a new kangaroo meat processing plant in Charleville to produce meat for human consumption and pet food.

The company has secured contracts to supply to food service, small goods companies and an Australian independent supermarket chain.

Barco Queensland is owned by Gold Coast-based pet food manufacturer Millennium Pet Foods. The plant will start out processing 1000 kangaroos per week, however general manager Daniel McGettigan expects this number to quadruple.

“The demand is very big, very big,” McGettigan told the ABC.

“I really, personally think in a matter of a few months we could be killing 3000 to 4000 ‘roos a week and not have any trouble dispersing of the product.”

Barco Queensland intends to produce kangaroo meat for human consumption and pet food.

The company is currently supplying cuts directly for food service in Sydney, and remains such as trim for small goods companies that distribute to Brisbane and Sydney. It has also secured contracts with wholesale produce distributor Metcash, which owns IGA supermarkets.

Additionally, the abattoir is processing 30 to 40 wild boars each week, which go direct into food service in Sydney.

McGettigan believes infrastructure upgrades and the installation of more chiller boxes around the region would help increase processing in the abattoir.

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