Booyong Abattoir, located near Clunes, has approval to slaughter 5,000 pigs per week, although it has historically slaughtered 7,000 to 10,000 animals at times, and a Booyong Village local residents’ group doesn’t want the abattoir’s development application (DA 10.2024.305.3) to be approved by Byron Shire Council (BSC).
In March 2025 a $7m redevelopment of the abattoir owned by Casino Food Company Ltd (CFC), was approved by BSC. At that time, the request to remove the cap on the number of animals slaughtered at the facility each week was rejected, and new limits on the hours of operation were imposed as part of the DA. Nevertheless, Booyong Residents Group (BRG) has told The Echo that their amenity has already been significantly impacted by the ‘increased operational intensity’ of the CFC.
They complain about intrusive noise of machinery, refrigeration, and ‘distressed, screaming pigs’ as they are transported into, and held at, the facility prior to slaughter 24 hours a day. They also highlighted that it was only complaints from the BRG that led to the abattoir reducing the number to within their slaughter cap of 5,000 pigs per week.
Now CFC wants to increase building height to 9.9m (the limit is 9m), remove previously required road upgrades, and change the hours of operation. CFC argues that the increase in height limit ‘would have no unreasonable or adverse impact on the surrounding area or adjoining properties’.
However, the BRG has told The Echo that, ‘considering the incredible intrusion into our homes by way of noise, stench, and increased operational hours, it seems the facility wishes to add an architectural intrusion to our bucolic vistas as well. The notion that the plant buildings do not intrude visually on surrounding properties is incorrect.’
The DA condition 14 ‘outlines upgrade requirements for sections of Cudgerie Gully Lane, Booyong Road, and associated intersections. These include driveway upgrades, full pavement and seal widening, drainage improvements, line marking, and potential culvert works along a stretch of the road,’ according to the report submitted by GeoLINK on behalf of CFC.
Trucks wreck road
BSC General Manager, Mark Arnold has said that the road conditions were too onerous, and Council should pay for them, according to the GeoLINK report, which states that, ‘It was generally agreed that the scope of works/upgrades required by the condition were onerous and that Council also had a responsibility for road maintenance/improvement of the public road network.’ Hence, CFC are seeking to amend the condition ‘to reduce the extent of these road upgrade works’ and ‘undertake roadworks only at the curve of Cudgerie Gully Lane and extending into the entry of the site entrance.’
The BRG say that triple-decked transports and refrigeration trucks transporting ‘up to 230 pigs per truck, sometimes 8-10 trucks per day, six days per week, and 52 weeks per year’ means that the impact on their roads is significant, and the facility has ‘responsibility to own the immense road destruction it has historically caused, currently causes and will cause in the future.’
BRG said that they object to the proposed changes to operating hours as it would ‘strip away any remaining noise-free time in the entire week, for the community’.
Future resident submissions
Responding to questions from The Echo, CEO of CFC Simon Stahl acknowledged that at times they have ‘exceeded the limit in our consent’ of processing pigs to slaughter.
‘The facility has operated at this site for decades and supports over 100 workers and their families. We understand that residents have concerns about its operations, including traffic, noise and the historical weekly processing limit.
‘The 5,000-per-week processing figure in our development consent was set in the 1990s. To the best of our knowledge, that figure was not derived from any environmental assessment of the site. Environmental issues such as noise, odour, wastewater and traffic are regulated separately under our EPA licence, and we meet those conditions,’ he said.
‘We are in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) so the question of appropriate processing capacity can be properly assessed on environmental and amenity grounds, with full input from Council, the EPA and the community. We invite residents with concerns to make a submission during public exhibition.’
Residents will be able to make submissions when an EIS is lodged with BSC towards the end of this year.
‘We recognise residents expect to be heard and to receive timely responses when concerns are raised. Where issues are within our control such as operational noise, on-site practices, and our own vehicles, we will act on those concerns in a timely manner. Where they involve third-party transporters or matters that sit with the EPA, police, or Transport for NSW, we’ll pass information on and follow up,’ he told The Echo.
‘We will continue to review our complaints-handling processes and will continue to work with transport providers and relevant authorities to minimise impacts.’
♦ This story was updated on Friday, 15 May, 2026
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