Hon Jim Anderton
Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity
Minister of Fisheries, Minister of Forestry
Associate Minister of Health
Associate Minister for Tertiary Education
Progressive Leader
13 May 2008 Media Statement
Oringi meat works closure
The closure and decommissioning of PPCS’ Oringi plant was upsetting and extremely disruptive for workers, their
families, and the wider Dannevirke community, Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said today.
“While I understand what the company was hoping to achieve with its rationalisation programme, dropping such
announcements like thunderbolts from the sky was not a good way to deal with workers,” he said.
“There are labour shortages within the meat industry and generally, so I’m hopeful that workers will be able to find new
jobs quickly, but this process is still a terrible one for people to go through.”
The meat industry has excess capacity, and this would become worse as the number of sheep was forecast to drop during
the next few years, he said.
“Ad hoc closures and rationalisations are not the best way forward for the meat industry, workers, and New Zealand as a
whole. To my mind, this latest closure reinforces the need for a strategic plan for the industry as a whole.”
Jim Anderton said he supported the concept of a meat industry mega-merger.
“There are caveats on that support, of course – one being that it needs the support of the majority of industry
participants. Unfortunately, the industry doesn’t have a plan that has that support. I hope it is still possible that
one could be developed in the future.”
ENDS