increase font size
Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Will Foley says McCains plans to close its Hastings vegetable processing factory is a "tough pill to swallow" for the Hawke's Bay region.
According to media reports, the company wrote to growers saying that following a review of operations at the site, it would be closing the Hastings factory.
Production would continue at the site through the remainder of the processing and packing season.
Foley says the closure will have a massive effect on the Central Hawke's Bay, which is already grappling with the Watties restructure announced last week.
"My thoughts immediately go to everyone here that's trying to navigate this news," he says. "There's no warning for this type of thing."
"I think about people like Simon, one of our crop farmers who sends his peas and corn to McCains. This impacts him, his family and the people that work for him."
Foley says the Central Hawke's Bay is a tight-knit community and when any part of that community takes a hit "it hurts all of us".
"There’s a chain of people affected; growers, contractors and people that sow the seed, trucks, processors.
"We need to get to the bottom of the concerns these businesses raise before we get more surprises like this, that cause more heartache and more pain."
The Government is funding a feasibility study to investigate what would be required for a successful farmer-led purchase of the McCain Foods' vegetable processing site in Hastings.
The closure of the McCain processing plant and the recent announcement of 300 job losses at Wattie’s underscore the mounting pressure facing New Zealand’s manufacturing sector, Buy NZ Made says.
McCain Foods Timaru plant is aiming to reduce its demand for heating fuel and CO2 emissions generated by burning coal.
The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (the College) and Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network are calling for investment in a proposed new training pathway for rural GPs, warning that many rural practices are struggling to recruit while a large share of the existing workforce nears retirement.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Synlait has swung to second-half profit as operations stabilise, but the dairy processor still posted a $75.4m annual loss.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
