Amended DA Update

High hopes for more appropriate location dashed

Still abattoir & power station close to river

Still next to existing feedlot

77 objections submitted

Council and EPA are Currently Assessing

Timeline for Council Meeting and Vote TBA

Thankyou everyone for your efforts, concern and support.

Abattoir & Power Station threat to Oura

What is at stake?

Contamination risk to the Murrumbidgee River, groundwater & lagoons

Unnecessary impacts to local roads and community

Significant loss of ‘rural landscape’ character

Local tourism jeopardised by industrialisation of Oura

Danger of polluting odours along the river valley

NOT the place for a meat factory and power station

What’s next?…“We have some very ambitious…goals” likely expansion

The Proposal

Eringoarrah Pty Ltd, operated by Okeview Pastoral Company, Scone, proposes a $11.5m abattoir and power station at Oura Station, 2052 Oura Rd, Oura, NSW.

This includes :

  • 5 buildings, abattoir 4 stories high (12m), office/amenities, workshop/storage room, electrical, effluent treatment + existing feedlot site area of 16 rugby fields (11.9ha)
  • Located 800m from Eringoarrah’s western boundary and 11km from their eastern
  • For own private use, killing over 6,000 animals per year [approx. assuming 48 weeks/year] 2,880 cattle, 2,400 sheep and 960 pigs
  • Supported by a power station the size of two rugby league fields (1.5ha) with 1,300kW solar array, 1,500KWh battery and 500KVA diesel generator
  • Includes effluent treatment plant, waste water screening, re-use irrigation, bio-waste storage, new roads, loading bay, carpark, yards, fencing, lighting etc.

Key Impacts: Environment & Community

Abattoir and ancillary power station in riverine landscape and close to the Murrumbidgee River, Sandy Creek tributary, lagoons and natural fishery

In an area officially listed as flood sensitive, groundwater vulnerable, protected riparian land, key fish habitat & high potential groundwater dependant ecosystem

Oura is 4.8km nearby and the Murrumbidgee River is the recreational life blood of the community, tourism and everyone downstream

On a regional road with little industrial use, enjoyed as scenic drive and a regular cycle route, and will include transport of offal

Neighbours include hobby farms, approved lifestyle subdivisions and farm tourism

PFAS contamination nearby at Forest Hill highlights need for precaution to protect our drinking water

ALTERNATIVE SITES & FUTURE USE

RU1 zoning around Oura means it should be retained as rural.

  • Proponents NIMBY’s (not in my backyard) as replicable site at main Erringorarah homestead with same facilities, similar distance and elevation from river, where it’d be in sight, sound and smell of no-one but themselves, but they don’t want it
  • Say for animal welfare they won’t truck stock to a site in the purpose built Bomen Industrial precinct and still plan to truck cattle 600km from Scone to feed abattoir
  • Once a $11.5m abattoir with power station is constructed on Oura Station, there is no turning back – it will be condemned forever to inappropriate industrial land use, as an abattoir and/or feedlot
  • The abattoir, as designed, can process 60 head of cattle per day, given a 24-hour chill – that’s 420 per week or about 20,000 per year, 7 times more than proposed and could be significantly more if the chiller rail is extended

Major Concerns

1

Contamination risk to groundwater, lagoons and river, as well as Oura Beach and drinking bores

2

Cumulative contamination risk given location next to 3.7 hectare “drought” feedlot, as well as increased odour

3

Risk of polluting odours from “katabatic drift” along the river valley to Oura

4

Industrialisation of Oura and risk of more odour from rendering on site in future

5

Industrial & solar fire risk putting community and volunteer firefighters at higher risk

6

Nighttime light pollution and daytime solar glare

7

Loss of rural landscape character threatens our lifestyle, farming and tourism and conflicts with surrounding approved subdivision and tourism land uses

8

Only for proponent’s own use and profit, while Oura bears the environmental cost & amenity impacts, as well as future risks

9

Significant likelihood of future expansion once abattoir and power station operations established at this site, either by Eringoarrah or other industrial operators

10

Regional risk of river and groundwater contamination from the combined 13 existing, approved and proposed industrial developments on or near the Murrumbidgee R. between Gundagai and Wagga Wagga, which includes PFAS contamination.

Mythbusters

ORP is not against the concept, just the completely inappropriate location for the environment, community and neighbours.

The “extensive” reports claimed by the proponents does not change the environmental risk of the proposed location close to Sandy Creek tributary, lagoons and the Murrumbidgee River, they can only assert to what level that risk could be managed.

ORP scientific reports show there is high risk of environmental contamination from the proposed site, as spoken publicly by Professor John Blackwell

The proponents claim the environmental high ground and yet it is their neighbours who have planted more than 130,000 trees and shrubs over 30 years, providing biodiversity, shelter and carbon sequestration, as well as adding to the areas rural landscape 

They also claim this is an animal welfare driven project and so are unwilling to truck cattle 20km to an abattoir site in Bomen and yet, at the same time, they plan to truck cattle 600km from Scone to feed their abattoir 

The abattoir has 7 times more capacity than they state in its current format and could process up to 20,000 head of cattle per year
Some seemingly contradictory claims are being made by calling the abattoir “boutique”, telling Oura in consultation that it will never be expanded and then saying to the media, “we have some very ambitious… goals… which could provide the Riverina with yet another endorsement of its world-leading agricultural production credentials”. Does this signal plans for future expansion?

They say a tree lot running North South from the Oura Road will screen the abattoir and power plant from view, when in reality it will only screen about 200m of road directly in front of the proposed site. The site is significant and will be highly visible for over 1.5km along the road, aerially and to neighbours

The rendered images of the buildings being displayed deliberately minimise visual impacts, making them similar to photos posted by an instagram celebrity, they are not reality.
The proponents don’t want you to know they have a replicable site at the main Eringoarrah homestead area just 9km further from Wagga, that meets all their criteria and is in view, smell and hearing of no one but themselves, but they don’t want it in their own backyard.

Better Alternatives Exist

To maintain Oura’s natural rural environment for the community’s quality of life, recreation, tourism, general amenity and for future generations. This inappropriately located project…

  • could be moved elsewhere, further from the river, neighbours and Oura
  • could be located in the Bomen industrial precinct
  • could instead use mobile processing

Any of these alternatives would provide better outcomes for the environment, neighbours and community, and still meet the scope of the proponent’s proposal

Act now to safeguard what’s
important about Oura

To join the fight or get further Information contact Oura Riverine Protection Inc.

62 objections submitted to Council