Pork Farm Development

Sustainability is a core part of this project. Modern infrastructure will reduce our environmental footprint, improve resource efficiency, and support local farmers through nutrient recycling and partnerships.

In the period from April 2024 - March 2025, JBS Pork Australia gas capture operations at the Corowa Redlands Rd site prevented 60,000 tonnes of CO2 from going into the atmosphere.

Once the second gas capture site is set up and fully operational, JBS Pork Australia will double the amount of CO2 prevented from being emitted (120,000 tonnes). 

The JBS Pork Farm Development is designed to build on our existing best-practice nutrient recycling and effluent management systems and deliver: 

• Enhanced circular economy – Expanded on-site recycling of waste into fertiliser for local grain producers, closing resource loops
• Industry-leading facilities – Modern sheds and infrastructure built to current sustainability benchmarks for air, water and energy management, improving teams and animal welfare
• Ongoing environmental stewardship – A staged replacement of ageing assets to maintain performance and enable continuous improvements in soil and water protection

All new growing facilities will: 

• Meet Australian welfare standards – From stocking densities to handling systems, every element exceeds minimum requirements 
• Provide environmental controls – Automated ventilation, heating and cooling to ensure pigs remain comfortable year-round
• Reduce disease risk – Separation of breeding and growing sites will support our strong veterinary protocols to keep our pigs healthy

By leveraging JBS Pork Australia’s fully integrated, end-to-end production model, the project will: 

• Separate breeding and growing operations – Limits cross-site disease transmission and strengthens farm-level biosecurity
• Maintain supply chain control – Rivalea owns and manages all its animals ensuring quality, traceability and rapid response to any issue 
• Reinforce national pork supply – As the source of 15% of Australia’s domestic pork, securing JBS’s operations underpins food security and market resilience 

An EIS is a specialist-driven assessment that evaluates all potential environmental effects of a major development. For these projects, the following will be assessed by independent consultants: 

• Air (odour, dust), water and soil impacts 
• Noise, traffic and ecology 
• Social and economic factors 

The EIS will include detailed mitigation measures, be informed by community feedback, and must gain approval under the NSW State Significant Development process before construction can commence. The draft EIS will be prepared in late-2025 and published on the NSW Major Projects Portal once finalised. 

No. The upcoming Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will closely assess any potential odour impacts on neighbouring properties and the community. The EIS will: 

• Assess odour, dust and air quality – Specialist modelling and monitoring will identify any potential off-site impacts
• Specify mitigation measures – Best-practice filtration, biofilters and odour-control technologies will be applied to minimise detectable odours beyond the property boundary

The JBS Pork Farm Development will deliver multiple tangible benefits for the surrounding region:
 

Economic stimulus and job creation

• 150 temporary construction roles during the upgrade 
• Long-term operational positions in the new facilities 
• Continued procurement from local grain suppliers, maintenance contractors and service providers 

Health and safety enhancements 

• The facilities have been designed with both pigs and people front of mind, ensuring our team members can safely care for every pig everyday  
• Environmental controls ensure people and animals are not exposed to weather fluctuations making them comfortable all year round

Regional partnerships and support 

• Provide a source of renewable nutrients to local farmers
• Open forums and ongoing consultation throughout the EIS process 
• Collaboration with local businesses and community groups to shape project outcomes

• Our contract growers are very valued and important partners for JBS Pork Australia
• The contract grower partnerships are intended to continue in the future
• In fact, we would love additional partnerships, and have just appointed a Contracting Development Manager to support this vision

The potential for increased vehicle movements—both during construction and operation—will be rigorously assessed as part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Key points include: 
 

Specialist traffic assessment 

• Traffic engineers will undertake baseline surveys of existing traffic volumes and patterns
• Detailed modelling will estimate additional heavy-vehicle and staff-vehicle movements for both the construction and operational phases

Mitigation through a Traffic Management Plan 

• The EIS will propose a Construction Traffic Management Plan (CTMP) that defines designated haul routes, times of delivery and collection, and safety measures to minimise disruption
• Where required, physical upgrades (e.g. intersection improvements, signage, road surface works) will be identified to ensure safe and efficient traffic flow

Please note that the complete traffic impact assessment and proposed mitigation strategies will be published on the NSW Major Projects Portal once the EIS is finalised. 

The project will cost over $400 million dollars to deliver, pending the outcomes of ongoing development approval processes and project design decisions.

• In general, piggery dams must comply with environmental guidelines (set by the EPA), and include regular monitoring, record-keeping, periodic desludging, compliance checks, and environmental risk assessments
• The effluent dams will be designed to contain liquid waste and allow for the settling of solids and biological treatment (mainly anaerobic digestion). Dams must be lined or constructed on suitable soil to prevent leakage that could contaminate soil or groundwater
• The dams are usually constructed with a freeboard to prevent overflows during high rainfall events
• Sludge and maintenance: Over time, solids (sludge) settle in the bottom of the dam. The sludge must be monitored and removed when it encroaches on treatment volume, typically after 5–10 years or if solids start to impinge on the active volume. Desludging is likely to done manually with machinery, and the dried sludge will be reused as fertiliser
• Stormwater runoff from outside the piggery area will be excluded from the dam to prevent overflow and dilution of treatment capacity – for this site, there will be a dedicated dam for stormwater capture and reuse

You can reach out to the project to find out more through: majorprojects@jbspork.com.au