The long-awaited livestock truck wash at Powranna was officially opened on Monday.
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Adjacent to Robert’s Powranna Livestock Marketing Complex, Northern Midlands Business Association has leased the land for the truck wash.
Tasmania’s biosecurity and animal welfare will improve as a result because the truck wash reduces the potential spread of disease in sheep, cattle and weeds, Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said.
“This state-of-the-art two-bay wash station will be used for more than 2,000 washes each year,” Mr Barnett said.
The project was jointly funded between the federal and Tasmanian governments, with each investing $247,000 and $250,000 respectively.
“This project is a great example of what can be achieved when state and federal governments work together with local communities, agribusiness, transporters and farmers to support growth in our local livestock sector,” Mr Barnett said.
“Building on this project, the Tasmanian government has also committed an additional $2 million to expand the network of truck and machinery wash-down stations in the state to further improve our biosecurity and farm hygiene.”
Senator for Tasmania Jonathon Duniam said the investment would not only be good for biosecurity, but great for the local economy too.
“This $500,000 investment has helped to create 10 jobs during construction, along with one additional job ongoing,” Mr Duniam said.
“Tasmania’s farming and agricutural sector is one of the state’s main economic drivers, with exports to the rest of the world continuing to grow.”
Powranna’s truck wash has been designed to be environmentally friendly, with solar panels and water-efficient infrastructure.
It will also improve road safety by diverting livestock effluent from Tasmanian roadways.
This truck wash addresses addresses the lack of livestock cleaning facilities in the Northern Midlands, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack said.
“This important infrastructure project provides a modern facility for cleaning livestock transport trucks, helping to boost biosecurity in the Tasmanian livestock industry and ensuring greater animal welfare through better conditions,” Mr McCormack said.
“By reducing the spread of disease and weeds during transport, the truck wash will also help the state’s livestock and broader agricultural industries and communities thrive and grow.”
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