PRIVATE investors have expressed interest in building and operating a proposed meatworks in Charters Towers.
The abattoir would be built on a block on Stockroute Road, which Charters Towers Regional Council acquired last year.
Mayor Frank Beveridge said council had recently opened an expressions of interest process and had received a positive response.
"We've got the land, we've got the water and power running out the top of the block," Cr Beveridge said.
"We think the potential proprietor for a meatworks would be one of the destinations for our boxed beef, which is of course Japan, America and South Korea.
"An abattoir has always been talked about in North Queensland but at the end of the day it has to be somewhere central to the beef industry.
"Obviously we have the largest cattle export port now in Australia, our location is only 120km from the Port of Townsville.
"We have got the Burdekin River, which provides large amounts of clean, cheap water.
"So the cattle are coming to Charters Towers regardless. The boxed beef is flowing to those big four countries (including China) regardless.
"It would make sense to have one here and to have the beef slaughtered, chilled and sent over."
Cr Beveridge said the meatworks would be another job creating project.
Charters Towers is not the only north west town which has identified the benefits a meatworks would bring to the region.
The Flinders Shire Council signed a deed with its Chinese partner in July last year to construct a meatworks and feedlot in Hughenden.
The facility, which is set to be built on a site on the Old Richmond Rd, about 5km west of Hughenden will process between 800 to 1500 head of cattle daily once operational.
Flinders Mayor Jane McNamara said the project had been delayed as council works to come up with a suitable water strategy, but she still hoped it would be operational in 2022.
"It has been delayed with the pandemic, but also because the Flinders Shire is still working on solutions for water requirements," Cr McNamara said.
"The investor is still there and it's a matter of us coming up with a suitable water strategy."
