Harcus River power to spark dairy expansion

The Harcus River Road power upgrade will unlock enormous potential for Tasmania’s dairy industry, creating investment and jobs.

I welcome the Federal Government’s $1.5 million investment in this project.

For the first time, this valuable farming land has access to electricity with the construction and commissioning of about 23 kilometres of power lines.

This project gives dairy farmers the infrastructure they need to develop new dairy farms and the confidence they need to invest.

Tasmania’s dairy industry currently employs around 2,600 people and produces around 800 megalitres annually.

Its reputation for fresh, premium and safe milk products is driving an increase in demand, particularly in markets such as China.

The Liberal Government is committed to helping the industry to continue to grow so it can capitalise on the growing global demand.

That’s why we have invested $30 million in irrigation along with with $60 million from the Federal Government, which was announced yesterday, to progress the Tranche 2 projects across the state.

The Liberal Government has a vision of growing the farm gate value of Tasmania’s agricultural industries to $10 billion a year by 2050, and investments such as the power upgrade at Harcus River Road and the Tranche 2 Irrigation schemes will help us to achieve this.
Jeremy Rockliff, Minister for Primary Industries and Water