The Hodgman Liberal Government is the strongest supporter of the primary industries that provide thousands of jobs in rural and regional communities.
The new Nichols Poultry ethical free range chicken brand being launched today aligns with our goal of growing the value of agricultural production tenfold to $10 billion per year by 2050 - our AgriVision 2050 target.
Tasmania’s Sustainable Agri-Food Plan 2016-18 released in September last year set out the Government’s plan to sustainably grow Tasmania’s agriculture and food sector, including seafood.
One of our iconic Tasmanian brands is Nichols Poultry, which was established by Rob Nichols in the early 1980s. In June last year Nichols Poultry was acquired by TasFoods, which has been working with Rob and Tristan Nichols to develop a new premium, ethical free range chicken product.
TasFoods epitomises the confidence in Tasmania’s agriculture and food sector and Brand Tasmania. Since it began in 2015 with the acquisition of the Meander Valley Dairy, the company’s strategy has been to build a portfolio of premium Tasmanian provenance brands with which to target key metropolitan markets beyond Tasmania, including Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
The new free-range chicken system developed by TasFoods and Nichols Poultry is pasture-based with chickens free to come and go as they please, 24/7. Sheds are small, mobile, unpowered and naturally-lit with up to 1500 birds.
Together TasFoods and Nichols Poultry have taken an already superior product to a whole new level of quality and sustainability. All of the cereals used to feed the chickens are grown in Tasmania, so expanding sales interstate will drive new opportunities for Tasmanian grain growers and suppliers. Increased production will in turn create new employment opportunities, helping to strengthen Tasmania’s rural and regional communities.
This welcome development today from TasFoods is confirmation that our policies are working to support continued optimism, growth and jobs in the agri-food sector.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water