LONDON/BRISBANE, 02 September 2026. Viresco Group, a specialist agricultural investment and asset manager, today announced the launch of its Queensland Farmland Fund, a dedicated strategy for Queensland beef production spanning breeding, backgrounding and finishing. The Fund launches with a cornerstone commitment from an institutional investor, targeting an eventual fund size of A$500 million, and with capital already deployed: the acquisition of Kellys Creek and Pauralos Park, a 22,000 hectare contiguous beef aggregation in Central West Queensland.
The world's population is projected to approach 9.7 billion by 2050, while the amount of productive agricultural land available per person continues to decline through urbanisation, water stress and land degradation. Australia sits apart from that trend. It is the world's second-largest beef exporter, backed by a stable political system, secure land title and enforceable property rights, positioning it to supply global protein demand as production constraints tighten elsewhere.
Viresco treats farmland and food production more broadly, as a strategic asset class in the same way institutional capital treats energy. Not a passive commodity exposure, but an operating business core to long-term economic security. The Fund's approach centres on integrating the production chain from breeding through to finishing and adopting systems to increase productivity and operating margin. Natural capital revenues sit alongside the livestock platform as a secondary revenue stream, not the basis for the investment case.
The launch follows Viresco's recent appointment of Peter Maher as Chair of the Group. Maher is an investment industry veteran who previously oversaw the initial launch of Macquarie’s farmland platform, Paraway. Viresco's senior team combines investment management and governance with hands-on experience operating large-scale agricultural assets across Australasia, Europe and Central Asia, under an operator-led model in which investment management and on-the-ground execution sit within a single team.
Quote from Hadyn Craig, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Viresco Group:
“The launch of the Queensland Farmland Fund, alongside the acquisition of Kellys Creek and Pauralos Park, demonstrates the Fund's ability to source, underwrite and execute against institutional-scale opportunities in Queensland beef production. Kellys Creek and Pauralos Park will be run in a way that lifts productivity while improving the condition of the land itself. Securing an aggregation of this quality as our first acquisition reflects the strength of our pipeline and the discipline behind how we deploy capital.”
Quote from Griff Williams, Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer, Viresco Group:
“The quality of soils, climate profile, extensive infrastructure and scale available in Queensland offer a significant opportunity for the Fund to build a meaningful presence across the beef production value chain and deliver risk-adjusted returns to our investors. Kellys Creek and Pauralos Park is the first step in that build, consistent with the disciplined underwriting approach we apply to every acquisition.”
About Viresco Group
Viresco Group is an agri-food investment and corporate advisory firm headquartered in the United Kingdom, founded by Hadyn Craig, Griff Williams, Charlie Hancock and Guy Pengelley. The Group comprises Viresco Capital Management, which invests in agricultural real assets on behalf of institutional and wholesale investors and Viresco Advisory Limited, which advises agri-food companies and investors on strategy, transactions and capital. The firm's team combines agribusiness operating experience, science and investment expertise across Australasia, the United Kingdom and international markets.
For more information, visit virescogroup.com.
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