Baiada’s new Tamworth processing plant opened on 16 September 2026. Photo: Baiada

BAIADA Poultry on Tuesday officially opened its new Tamworth Processing Plant in a move which is set to make it the equivalent of Baiada’s Hanwood facility in southern New South Wales.

At launch, the facility can process approximately 1.5 million chickens per week, with the site designed to expand to an approved capacity of up to 3M birds per week once its second processing line becomes operational.

The site, at Westdale on Tamworth’s outskirts, will replace its Out Street site close to the CBD, which has a weekly processing capacity of less than 1M birds.

Sixty years in Tamworth

The opening comes as demand for poultry products continues to grow across Australia and follows significant investment by Baiada to expand its production and processing capabilities in support of its brands, including Steggles and Lilydale Free Range.

PSA Consulting’s 2019 Environmental Impact Statement said at full operation, the facility is expected to employ up to 1176 people in operations including rendering, up from 494 employed at the time at Out Street.

Members of the Camilleri family with NSW Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson (far left), Tamworth Regional Council deputy mayor Jeff Budd (second from left) and Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce (far right) at the opening of the new Baiada plant in Tamworth . Photo: Kevin Anderson MP

Baiada has operated in Tamworth since 1966, when founder Celestino “Charlie” Baiada established the company’s first operations in the region.

“This is a long-term investment in Tamworth and the people who have supported Baiada for generations,” Baiada Poultry managing director Simon Camilleri said.

“This facility is about ensuring Tamworth remains at the heart of our operations for decades to come, creating opportunities for local families and supporting the broader regional economy.”

Advanced technologies used at the new facility are designed to improve efficiency and quality, and include automated inline processing and quality-assurance systems, automated packaging and cold storage, traceability, secondary processing, and integrated logistics.

The plant features two high-capacity online processing lines, each designed to process up to 15,000 birds per hour.

A feature of the facility is its advanced three-stage chilling system, incorporating immersion chilling, shock chilling, and maturation air-chilling technology.

The system represents the first immersion and air-chilling combination of its scale deployed anywhere in the world.

The workplace has been designed to support employee wellbeing, comfort and experience, and includes a cafeteria, gymnasium, landscaped courtyard, and breakout areas.

“Technology is an important part of this facility, but it’s the people behind that technology who make our business successful,” Mr Camilleri said.

Simon and John Camilleri at Baiada’s new Tamworth facility. Photo: Baiada

Big and getting bigger

Along with ASX-listed Ingham’s, Baiada is one of Australia’s two largest poultry processors.

In addition to Hanwood, Baiada’s other processing sites are located at Wingfield in Adelaide, South Australia, Beresfield near Newcastle, NSW, Osborne Park, Western Australia, and Mareeba, Queensland.

As outlined in Grain Central’s October 2024 article, Baiada’s Tamworth expansion is expected to considerably increase the grain demand from its associated Tangaratta Stockfeeds mill located at nearby Wallamore.

Baiada Poultry already has a network of poultry suppliers for its Tamworth operation, and it and others have plans to ramp up production, including from Baida’s proposed 16-shed Silverweir Poultry Farm, capacity 960,000 birds, at Appleby.

Independently, AAM Investment Group is looking into developing the nearby 18-shed Bective South Poultry Farm, capacity 1.24M birds, and already operates AAM Poultry at Karinyah, Somerton.

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