Southern Meats Pty Ltd
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN IN THE GOULBURN COMMUNITY
This is to advise that Southern Meats (SM) management are aware that a wastewater odour emission has occurred on the Southern Meats abattoir premises.A number of odour complaints have been lodged with the Company as at 23/04/25.
SM management apologises to all residents and others who may have been impacted by these odours.
SM has an active strategy to participate in reducing carbon emissions in the business. One element of the carbon reduction strategy has been to participate in biogas (methane) capture and conversion to electricity by way of a Covered Anaerobic Lagoon (CAL) and cogeneration.
The CAL on the SM premises is owned by Resonance Asset Management and operated by a subsidiary (SM Project Company) who sublet the onsite management of the facility to a local Goulburn company, Red Ted Pty Ltd who in turn are advised in respect of CAL management by Blue Energy Solutions Australia.
The CAL is designed to capture biogas, blend the biogas with natural gas, burn the blended gas through a combustion engine to generate electricity which is sold to SM to power the abattoir. SM is dependant on the competency of the CAL sublet management and advisors to maintain this large digester in good health.
Following inquiries with the CAL operator, the likely source of wastewater odour from mid-April 2025 is a volume of partly digested or undigested wastewater discharging into the aerobic aerator lagoon system from the CAL.
SM management have been advised by the CAL operator that following a run of good operating months (January through March 2025) when biogas production hit record levels, the CAL biogas production collapsed in the first half of April.
As an organic entity the CAL appeared to experience a near death experience and in any event the collapse was reportedly the most significant sickening of the CAL since biogas capture began on the premises.
SM management advise that no known changes occurred in abattoir operations in respect of either abattoir wastewater volume or quality to trigger such an event.
Factors that can lead to shock of the CAL by microbial die-off and gas production collapse are several and varied.
It is likely that a combination of several factors led to the sickening of the CAL.
The CAL is in the process of recovery, making biogas again and discharging cleaner water.
The downside is that the discharge of relatively undigested (anaerobic) wastewater still needs to make its way through the oxidation pond process before odours fully abate.
At this stage management and specialist advisors are not prepared to speculate as to how long this process will take but it will not cease overnight.
We again apologise and ask that the community bear with us as we continue to work to bring the CAL and onsite wastewater back to normal balance.
Yours sincerely,
Craig Newton
General Manager
Southern Meats Pty Ltd
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Southern Meats Pty Ltd have strategically located their hi-tech abattoir in Goulburn, NSW, the heart of Australia's finest sheep country. The region has a heritage steeped in the growth of Australia's famous golden fleece days. In the late 1860's, it was a bustling township serving as a commercial centre for a prosperous wool growing district. Goulburn is today just two hour's drive from Sydney's air and seaports. It remains an important rural cross-roads providing Southern Meats with prime export product from the surrounding sheep growing areas. Its proximity to Sydney ensures the company's Fine Brand range of processed lamb, sheep and offal are easily accessible to worldwide markets.
The Southern Meats Company has joined with another Australian owned sheepmeat processor, the Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-operative Limited (WAMMCO). Both companies share enviable reputations and brands in domestic and export markets. By working together closely, the two companies can supply high volumes of premium quality product throughout the year.
Packed under the well-known Fine Brand label, Southern Meats' discerning customers are assured that our product is of the highest quality. Not only is the meat grown in the clean, healthy environment of Australia's beautiful Southern Highlands region but it is processed in a state-of-the-art operation that meets with the stringent standards of the E.C. and USDA. The plant processes sheep and lambs utilising the latest hi-tech automated equipment-slaughtering, boning, chilling, freezing and rendering by-products. All stock are slaughtered to Halal practices with strict hygiene and quality control applying to all aspects of the production line.
Southern Meats prides itself on the plant's flexibility to provide you with a wide range of primal cuts and retail ready packs. Meat is packed, wrapped and labelled to your requirements. We export to customers in the Middle East, South-East Asia, Korea, Japan, UK, Europe, Canada, USA, Africa, Mauritius and the Pacific Basin with a full range of chilled and frozen bone in and boneless mutton and lamb cuts, as well as assorted offals.
As one of Australia's leading sheep meat exporters, Southern Meats dedication to quality in all aspects of production assures you buy only Australia's best when you buy Fine Brand sheep and lamb meats.
