McCain foods to close Feilding potato plant

Up to 140 jobs are to be lost in Feilding when McCain Foods closes its potato processing plant in the town in December.

Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union nation secretary Andrew Little said workers were told yesterday that the plant would close for good when the processing season ends and production would be shifted to the company's Timaru plant.

"The decision to close this plant, which is one of the largest employers in Feilding, and vital to the area's economy, is outrageous," he said.

Service and Food Workers Union regional secretary Luci Highfield said the closure would have a big impact on the Feilding community.

National Radio reported today the national vegetable growers' body Vegfed said the planned closure would come as no surprise to growers.

Vegefed chief executive Peter Silcock said the Manawatu climate was less settled than that of Canterbury and the Feilding plant was very old and in need of a major upgrade.

The New Zealand managing director of McCain Foods Australia, Steve Yung, said upgrading the 20-year-old plant would require significant investment.

The Dominion Post reported him as saying the Feilding plant had become too uneconomic to continue and the company would instead focus on upgrading and investing in its Timaru plant.

- NZPA