A WA Nurse based in the South West has made an unusual career change into snail farming.

Jane Goff told 6PR’s Michaela Carr she wants to give Western Australians access to fresh produce for escargot, a delicacy generally associated with fine dining in France.

“Usually the ones that you might find in a restaurant have been imported frozen or canned.”

She started her greenhouse farming operation earlier this year, and plans to import breeding stock from overseas.

“No one has ever imported live snails into Australia before, I’ve had to amend the live import list, which has taken just shy of two years.”

In an effort to reduce her carbon footprint she will establish a vertical snail farm at her Capel property.

“What you can grow in about five acres, I can do in about 1000 metres squared by going up.”

Ms Goff hopes to export about two million snails each year.

“We will have some local sales and I am looking at exporting overseas as well.”

Click play to hear the full interview. 

(Photo: iStock by Getty Images.)