Cattle holding facility in Calcium gets green light
Date published: 28 April 2020
Townsville City Council has today given the go-ahead for the development of a live cattle holding yard and short-term feedlot facility at Calcium south of the city.
Planning and Development Committee chair and local Councillor Les Walker said the development, proposed by Woodstock Pastoral Services Pty Ltd, would have the capacity to accommodate 20,000 head of cattle.
“This project is another vote of confidence in Townsville and North Queensland,” Cr Walker said.
“It is expected to directly generate up to 10 full-time jobs on-site once fully operational and will indirectly support many more in the beef farming and related industries.”
It is expected that 90 per cent of the cattle transported to the facility will come from the Charters Towers region, with the remainder coming from the Ingham region. Feed and other commodity deliveries are expected to be sourced from Townsville and Ayr.
The facility is proposed to be developed in four stages over a 10-year period from 2020 to 2029 and will consist of sheltered cattle receiving and handling yards, holding pens, a workshop and hardstand area, feed shed, offices and a weighbridge.
Cr Walker said the project was open for public consultation in late 2019.
“Seven submissions were received from the community dealing with issues such as animal welfare, weed spread and groundwater impacts,” he said.
“Council has imposed a number of conditions on the development, including groundwater testing, stormwater drainage and quality management and pest management which should address the issues raised by the community.”
