Grants Sawmilling – one of the largest employers in the Western Division of NSW – will continue operating for at least another three years after the Western Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) and Wood Supply Agreement were extended to 31 December 2028, averting a potentially disastrous shutdown that would have gutted two regional towns on the eve of Christmas.
As a major cypress pine processor, Grants Sawmilling supplies structural framing timber, posts, sleepers, fencing materials and other high‑durability products used across residential construction, agriculture and rural infrastructure. The business operates a closed‑loop system in which all by‑products — including chips, bark and sawdust — are repurposed, making it a critical supplier and employer in the Western Division.
Wood Central can reveal that the extension follows months of rising frustration across the timber supply chain over the lack of transparency around the IFOA review. Timber NSW had warned repeatedly that the mandatory review had never taken place, with Freedom‑of‑information documents later revealing that, since 2019, the NSW Environment Protection Authority had held annual meetings to review the terms of reference but had failed to commence the review.
“The same person is involved at the NSW EPA in deliberately slowing down the process for both the red gum volume review and the Western (cypress) IFOA renewal,” according to Maree McCaskill, CEO of Timber NSW.
Political tensions peaked when Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MLC Mark Banasiak moved a motion in the Upper House threatening to expose the EPA’s inaction. With no clarity from the regulator and the December 2025 expiry date approaching, Grants Sawmilling began preparing for an orderly shutdown — the only lawful option available.
Wood Central understands that the company operates at Narrandera and Baradine and is the major employer in Baradine, where the loss of the mill would have stripped the town of its economic backbone. It lead to local MPs Steph Cooke (a NSW National from Cootamundra) and Roy Butler (member for Barwon and part of the NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party) intervening, lobbying the powerful Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and Agriculture and Regional NSW Minister Tara Moriarty to break the deadlock.
Cooke visited the Narrandera mill and was struck by its closed‑loop operation, where no waste leaves the site. She later released a short documentary on social media highlighting the mill’s efficiency and its importance to the region.
Grants Sawmilling has long been one of the Western Division’s largest employers and maintains a strong record of equal‑opportunity hiring, including significant First Nations employment. The Grant family also sponsors local sporting clubs, including the region’s First Nations football team.
