Ingham’s commits US$35.3M to new poultry breeding farms in Australia

AUSTRALIA – Ingham’s Group is investing about US$35.3 million in two new poultry breeding farms in Victoria as the Australian company expands its breeding capacity through a partnership with ProTen.

Construction is due to start this month, with the development set to include 15 highly automated production sheds across the two sites.

The facilities will be equipped with automated egg grading and sorting technology, including artificial intelligence systems designed to examine individual eggs during processing.

Ingham’s will take responsibility for managing the farms after they become operational, with production scheduled to begin during the first half of 2029.

The project is being developed in the Charlton area and is expected to generate jobs during both the construction period and subsequent farm operations.

“This development represents an important investment in our Victorian farming operations and the Charlton community,” said Sheridan Alfirevich, general manager of farming and milling at Ingham’s.

According to the company, the new farms will increase its national poultry breeding capacity while incorporating measures focused on animal welfare and biosecurity.

ProTen is providing its experience in developing and running commercial poultry farms as part of the partnership, with the company operating more than 800 poultry sheds across more than 70 broiler farms in Australia.

Those farms are spread across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland, and collectively produce more than 200 million broiler chickens each year, equivalent to about 25% of Australia’s annual broiler production.

ProTen CEO James Wentworth said the company was working with Ingham’s on the new facility and acknowledged support from Buloke Council for the development.

The expansion comes as Ingham’s responds to the spread of H5N1 avian influenza in Australia, with the company extending poultry farm lockdown measures to all Australian states.

Ingham’s first introduced restrictions in Western Australia in June 2026, including moving free-range birds indoors and tightening controls on personnel movements, protective clothing and tracking between facilities.

The wider disease response is also being supported by the Australian federal government, which has allocated about US$79.7 million for broader biosecurity measures and started vaccination efforts targeting priority native species.

Despite the disease-control measures, Ingham’s said the breeding project would proceed in line with state requirements, with Alfirevich saying the company expected to continue developing its operations in the Charlton community.

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