NEOGEN vice president, international Dr Jason Lilly, left, and NEOGEN Australasia senior director Bobby Creasman at the opening.

AUSTRALIA’S largest genomics facility has been officially opened by NEOGEN Australasia at Ipswich west of Brisbane in Queensland.

NEOGEN Australasia said it has consolidated its genomics, food safety and animal safety services in one purpose-built location that it opened last Friday.

NEOGEN Australasia now processes about one million DNA samples annually, with its high-end genomic analysis tools and robotic processing.

The 11 million state-of-the-art facility was supported by the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund.

NEOGEN said the complex is Australia’s largest genomics facility and provides Queensland’s only locally-based food and animal safety services with on-site warehousing, distribution and technical support.

NEOGEN Australasia senior director Bobby Creasman said the new facility provides room to grow into the future and supports NEOGEN’s promise to positively impact the local, rural employment market and the agricultural industry.

“NEOGEN Australasia currently employs more than 60 staff and we expect to create at least another 25 new jobs in the next five years to ensure we can continue to meet the demands and expectations of Australia’s livestock producers and food processing companies.

“Our new Ipswich facility will be at the forefront of ensuring greater accessibility of genomic tools at improved value to producers, while providing more information across the livestock production value chain,” ,” Mr Creasman said.

“This expansion, along with the merging of 3M’s Food Safety business with our existing operations, will lead NEOGEN into a new era of growth.”

Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said the Queensland Government was proud to support Neogen Australasia’s relocation and expansion to Ipswich.

“Neogen Australasia is a Queensland success story with its expansion creating new jobs, doubling its testing capacity, and consolidating its business with new services and product lines.

“They are a great example of an internationally renowned organisation providing highly valued services and support to our agribusiness sector that has chosen to reinvest locally and continue its growth journey here in Queensland,” he said.

NEOGEN’s food safety product range covers solutions for the Australasian agribusiness sector including dehydrated culture media, rapid diagnostic test kits to detect food allergens and hygiene indicators through ATP sanitation monitoring. Its animal safety range includes cleaners and disinfectants for farm and veterinary settings, and pest control solutions such as insecticides and rodenticides to limit the spread of disease.

NEOGEN said the relocation from its former location in Gatton was a major undertaking, requiring eight specialist sub-contractors and 30 staff to move more than 25 truckloads of equipment and about 30 years’ worth of archived samples.

“Our investment in new facilities is in keeping with our commitment to our customers to continually invest in developing new and cutting-edge technologies that improve their livestock and food safety businesses,” Mr Creasman said.

Assistant Minister for Hydrogen Development and Member for Bundamba, Lance McCallum, and Ipswich mayor Teresa Harding inspecting genomic plates in the new NEOGEN labs.