The move will see the company double its production capacity through breeding, hatching, processing, feed production and product distribution at 15 sites in SA, including Bolivar, Edinburgh Parks and Dry Creek as well as Monarto, Yumali and Murray Bridge.

The company says the expansion – which is backed by a $3.7 million State Government investment – will create 385 direct jobs with the company, as well as 465 with contractor firms and up to 700 during construction.

Ingham’s executive chairman Mick McMahon said in a statement that an “investor-friendly environment” was “one of the reasons our investment is concentrated in this state”, lauding policies on “planning, biosecurity, animal health and animal welfare and the regulations surrounding food production”.

“We have started discussion on how we can tap into the skilled workforce in northern Adelaide and provide new opportunities to those displaced by the closure of car manufacturing,” he said.

“We have already employed some people from this industry in leading positions.”

The Government investment includes $2.8 million from the Regional Development Fund and $900,000 from the state’s Investment Attraction agency, which also provided logistical support.

Premier Jay Weatherill said the expansion “positioned the state as a strategic national centre for the company and its future expansion”.

“Food production is a growing sector of our economy and we are supplying the business conditions that make investing here a wise choice,” he said.