A 219 ha free-range piggery which will house up to 5000 pigs has been proposed for Naring.
Applicant Western Plains Pork, which is based in Rokewood, about 40 km south of Ballarat, plans to develop a rotational outdoor piggery, with paddocks used in rotation with a pasture or cropping phase, which will employ four people.
The piggery is proposed for Tobruk Rd, Naring, and will accommodate grower pigs, with the pig farm stocking pigs aged from four to 21 weeks old.
About 300 pigs will arrive at the piggery each week, which will then be divided into two paddocks, with a density of 200 pigs/ha.
About 1790 are intended to be weaners, 1176 will be porkers, 1162 will be growers and 863 finisher pigs.
“It is intended that each paddock will be used for one batch of pigs to start on and will allow the pasture on the destocked area to rejuvenate before it is time to use it again,” the planning application to Moira Shire Council states.
Initially the piggery intends to source feed from the St Arnaud or Mooroopna Ridley Agriproducts feed mills, with plans to later build its own off-site feed mill locally to supply the piggery.
The typical cropping rotation will include a combination of winter cereal with grain and straw harvest, winter hay, maize silage and canola.
“Once the pigs move from an area, crops will need to be grown on the destocked area to remove the added nutrients,” the application states.
“It is worth nothing that under this regime approximately 67 per cent of the nitrogen, 40 per cent of the phosphorus and all of the potassium will be removed after one year of cropping, 80 per cent of nitrogen and 46 per cent of phosphorus removed after two years.”
● The application is available for viewing and feedback at: moira.vic.gov.au/Residents/Building-and-planning/Planning/Current-applications-on-advertising