Opened in November, the $1.2 million facility started with processing of beef and lamb.

Accreditation for processing pigs adds a service that has not previously been available in the south-west.

Managing director Steven Castle said it was another important step for the business.

“Stage one of our project was focused on getting our beef and lamb operations under way and working with producers to fill an important local service gap,” Mr Castle said.

He said it quickly became evident there was a need for pig processing.

“In our first six months of operations the amount of enquiries we received about whether we could process pigs exceeded my expectations. 

“As a consequence we fast tracked our stage two plans for pork and have now been approved to begin processing.”

Mr Castle said pigs were more commonly processed in dedicated pig abattoirs. The boutique nature of the Koallah Farm operation near Cobden made pork a natural expansion opportunity, he said.

“Larger beef and lamb abattoirs tend to be halal certified so they can export product around the world. 

“Because we are not a halal facility and operate on a domestic license, adding pork as a third species is a really good fit for us.

“We’ve also begun some work around accreditations for goats, alpacas and even buffalo.”

The Koallah Farm abattoir services its own farm operation as well as several boutique producers in the south-west.

“These producers are able to drop off their livestock and have it slaughtered, aged, butchered, packed and labelled with their own branding,” Mr Castle said.

It also services farmers who want animals processed for their own use.

The enterprise employs 14 people at Koallah and about a dozen at its retail outlets in Melbourne.