MANY unemployed people in regional NSW will be scratching their heads at opposition in Blayney to the construction of an abattoir which is expected to create 150 permanent jobs but the community reaction does demand further scrutiny.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Until the public meeting last week the major concern raised by the goat abattoir proposal was its close proximity to a wedding and function venue.
However it was not only the impact of odours on nearby businesses which dominated a meeting attended by more than 100 people, there was also the perceived stigma of Blayney once again becoming an abattoir town.
For workers in the region who have lost jobs in the mining and electricity industries or who are facing redundancy at Electrolux it must seem strange that in a town the size of Blayney there is opposition to a development that will create jobs.
Rather than benefit the Blayney economy, its critics claimed the overall impact of this type of industry would be overwhelmingly negative. The abattoir would drive away more people than it attracted, it seemed.
There are clearly some assumptions about the odours from an abattoir blanketing a town, and perhaps the impact of a workforce of meat workers.
The tone of one meeting is certainly not a sound basis to make a recommendation to the NSW planning department but it should prompt Blayney Shire Council to take a more critical look at the location that could impact on the function venue and a retirement village.
An initial show of hands at the meeting was against the abattoir, but as one attendee said, the framing of a question can elicit a different response.
Asked whether they were opposed to the abattoir because of the proposed site many in the crowd indicated that was the case.
Neither Blayney nor the district can afford to turn its nose up at new jobs, but the community needs a guarantee it won’t be left holding its if the planning department gives the abattoir the green light on the proposed site.
