Silver Fern Farms Proposing To Close Mossburn Plant

Silver Fern Farms is consulting with staff at its North Island Wairoa mutton processing plant and its South Island Mossburn venison plant on options for closing the two small sites.

Silver Fern Farms Chief Executive Dean Hamilton says: “with changing livestock flows, there is the opportunity for the company to become more efficient and offer our farmer suppliers improved service by operating fewer plants for longer during a season. Both plants operate in regions where we have other plants which can manage the combined levels of livestock processing in the region.”

Employees at Mossburn are being given options to work at the company’s Waitane, Kennington or Finegand sites. Frasertown employees will have the option of transferring to Takapau or Pacific in the Central Hawke’s Bay. Frasertown employs 67 staff, while Mossburn employs 43 staff.

Mr Hamilton says “We have a great group of people at both sites, a number of whom are already working at these alternative locations and we will be discussing these options with the Union and the consultation committee.”