Govt has agreed to grants to fund gourmet food production

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said the funding for 24 companies would build on rural Australia’s already strong food production capacity.

“These projects will add value to produce before it leaves rural areas, where 40 per cent of Australia’s food processing takes place,”  McGauran said.

“The 24 successful applicants represent a broad cross-section of food and agriculture industries, producing everything from gourmet cheese, to snail meat, jams, sauces and seafood.

“Tasmania’s Spring Bay Seafoods, for example, will install new packaging equipment to extend the shelf life of its mussels, and New South Wales Hunter Valley company Snails Bon Appetite’s project will upgrade its snail meat preparation facility.”

The grants provide up to $200,000 to small-to-medium-sized companies for projects that will benefit rural and regional communities.