May 13, 2020

BioMar plant in Tasmania, Australia starts production

BioMar Australia has commenced aqua-feed production at its state-of-the-art 40-million-euro (US$43.2-million) facility in Tasmania, it was announced.

Two years after the Danish aqua-feed maker announced plans to establish production in Australia back in 2017, the opening of the facility was welcomed by the local aquaculture industry at a time when many businesses are facing COVID-19 operating restrictions.

The production facility will produce up to 110,000 tonnes of aqua feed annually to support the Australian and Oceania aquaculture industry. Despite COVID-19, it is business as usual production-wise at the facility with the adoption of key social-distancing measures to ensure the well-being of BioMar employees.

In a virtual media conference to comply with social distancing requirements, Minister for Primary Industries and Water Guy Barnett congratulated BioMar for the company's milestone.

BioMar Australia's Managing Director, David Whyte, who was on-site during the virtual launch, thanked all parties involved in helping BioMar deliver the project on schedule and budget.

"While it's not currently possible to formally celebrate our opening together with our staff, customers and community, we must acknowledge all those involved in bringing the project to life. We are now up and running in Tasmania and we're excited to add our technical and production capacity to the region's aquaculture industry," Whyte said.

He said trials of the company's products were already underway in a variety of species in Australia and New Zealand. "[W]e are bringing BioMar's global best practices and nutritional know-how into our region helping to support sustainable innovation in aquaculture."

Attending the virtual opening event from Chile, Carlos Diaz, CEO of BioMar Group, stressed the important global role of BioMar Australia and the local aquaculture industry.

"Globally aquaculture is a growing industry with growth expected to double by 2050. BioMar is committed to helping Tasmania and our wider region play an important role in this endeavor, supporting farmers to grow healthy, sustainable and safe food," Diaz said.