Using more sheep and beef offal

A big Levin meat processor has spent half a million dollars on a pet food plant and the development of additional offal collection.

The work took place at farmer co-operative Alliance, which owns Levin’s large meat plant in Hamaria Rd on the south western edge of the Horowhenua town.

The money was invested as part of plans to capture more product and open market opportunities.

Processing general manager at Alliance Group Kerry Stevens said the new pet food plant was up and running.

‘‘It had been commissioned and built in November and is now in full production. It is collecting inedible offal from sheep and cattle and processing it.’’

He said there was no change in the number of people working at the meat plant – 275 – and of those, about 30 were working now in the pet food facility.

Stevens said Alliance’s pet food was destined for markets at home, the United States and Europe.

He said pet food was a major market, worth US$70 billion worldwide.

Stevens said the pet food plant enabled it to collect suitable product, which would have previously been used for waste products.

He said the facility allowed the company to make savings on additional beef offal products, including spleen, aorta, pancreas and trachea.

‘‘Some material will still be rendered, but the new pet food facility has enabled a number of items, such as lungs, to be recovered for pet food.

‘‘Inedible refers to not for human consumption , for example, pet food, or tallow used in soap. Edible refers to products suitable for human consumption, such as liver or kidney.’’

Stevens said the only waste material was manure from stockyards and paunch grass – stomach contents – which went to compost.