St. Andrä, 5 November 2026
With today’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new production facility extension, WECH Poultry is marking a significant milestone in the ongoing development of its production site in St. Andrä in the Lavanttal valley.
A state-of-the-art production hall will be built, enabling a substantial increase in chicken cutting and filleting capacity. With this investment, the company is responding to the growing demand for poultry meat while once again demonstrating its strong commitment to Carinthia as a business location.
State-of-the-Art Production Technology Across More Than 3,500 m²
The planned extension comprises a two-storey production building with a footprint of approximately 3,575 m². The ground floor will accommodate modern production areas, cold storage rooms and a deep-freeze section, among other facilities.
At the heart of the new production hall will be two fully automated cutting and filleting lines. The new technology will nearly double cutting capacity, marking a major step towards even more efficient and high-performance production. Filleting capacity will also be significantly expanded, allowing almost twice the current volume of chicken breast fillets to be processed in the future.
Innovative robotic technology will subsequently handle the automated distribution, weight control and packaging of the fillets, making production processes more efficient and flexible.
The upper floor will also provide spacious staff welfare and hygiene facilities, as well as additional storage, office and technical areas.
Focus on Sustainability and Security of Supply
In addition to expanding production capacity, energy efficiency and security of supply are key priorities in the implementation of the project.
The existing photovoltaic power generation system will be expanded across the new building complex. Further improvements to the heat recovery system are also planned to make more efficient use of available energy.
Another important element of the overall project is the expansion of drinking water storage capacity. An additional elevated water reservoir with a capacity of 1,600 cubic metres will complement the existing 400-cubic-metre reservoir. This will increase total storage capacity to 2,000 cubic metres, helping to secure the company's water supply over the long term.
A Strong Commitment to St. Andrä and the Regional Economy
As a company with deep regional roots, WECH Poultry has strong ties to the Lavanttal valley. The expansion of its existing production site therefore represents a deliberate commitment to the region and its continued economic development.
The investment will help safeguard jobs in the long term and sustainably strengthen the St. Andrä production site. At the same time, the company places great importance on ensuring that as much economic value as possible remains within the region, even during the construction phase.
For this reason, contracts for the construction project have been specifically awarded to regional companies.
“As a company deeply rooted in the region, we are extremely proud to actively contribute to the economic development of the Lavanttal valley and to significantly expand regional value creation together with our partners. With this investment, we are safeguarding jobs, strengthening our production site and staying true to our long-standing commitment to awarding as many contracts as possible to local businesses. It is simply part of our DNA to ensure that our investments also benefit the region in which we have been rooted for 68 years and to which we owe a significant part of our success.”
Thomas Haslauer, MSc, Managing Director
Investing in the Future and Strong Partnerships
Poultry meat consumption continues to rise, bringing with it increasing demands for efficient, future-oriented production.
With the new extension, WECH Poultry is laying the foundations for further growth. Over the next two to three years, slaughtering and processing capacities at the site are expected to increase by approximately 40 per cent. This will strengthen the supply of domestically produced poultry meat and secure the company's long-term production capabilities.
The focus is not only on developing the company itself, but particularly on sustainably securing existing partnerships and establishing new relationships with Austrian poultry farmers.
“With this extension, we are investing not only in state-of-the-art production technology, but above all in the future of our company and our partner farms. By creating additional processing capacity, we are securing long-term cooperation with our existing poultry farmers while opening up opportunities for new partnerships. Our goal is to continue growing together with Austrian agriculture and to sustainably strengthen regional poultry production.”
DI Paul Pötz, Managing Director
As demand for poultry meat continues to grow, WECH Poultry is also actively seeking additional agricultural partners specialising in broiler chicken farming.
In doing so, the company aims to create new opportunities for Austrian farmers and further strengthen the regional value chain, from farm to processing.
Deputy Governor Martin Gruber emphasised the importance of the investment in St. Andrä for Carinthia's poultry industry:
“Expanding domestic poultry production and processing also means reducing our reliance on cheap imports from abroad, where animal welfare standards and regulatory requirements are nowhere near as stringent as those our farmers must comply with. I therefore see WECH's investment in expansion and modernisation as an important contribution to strengthening and safeguarding poultry farming in Carinthia.”
In his capacity as the provincial government member responsible for agriculture, he highlighted that Carinthia's poultry industry, with a production value exceeding EUR 50 million, already ranks third among the province's agricultural sectors, behind dairy and cattle farming.
“The poultry industry is a sector with a promising future, not least because current dietary trends continue to keep demand for poultry at a high level. To ensure that Carinthian farms can benefit from this development, they need strong partners such as WECH – a company that maintains exceptionally close relationships with its producers, including supply agreements that in some cases go back generations. This kind of cooperation also demonstrates appreciation for the work of our farmers, which I consider an important signal.”
Deputy Governor Gruber also congratulated WECH's managing directors on this next stage of expansion:
“Today's groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of production in St. Andrä is also a clear commitment to the region as a business location, to local employees, to Carinthian agriculture and to supporting domestically produced food instead of cheap imports.”
An Important Step Towards the Future
The groundbreaking ceremony on 5 November 2026 marks the beginning of a new chapter in WECH Poultry's development. The new production hall and its advanced processing systems are scheduled to commence operations in November 2027.
The extension represents far more than additional production space: it sends a clear signal for the future of Austria's poultry industry, for long-term partnerships with the agricultural sector and for the sustainable strengthening of the Lavanttal valley as an economic location.
With this investment, WECH Poultry reaffirms its commitment to remaining a reliable partner for Austrian poultry farmers, an important regional employer and a key player in Carinthia's food industry in the years to come.
