After months of uncertainty and years of false alarms, Thomas Foods has today officially announced the closure of its Wallangarra Meatworks as of this Friday, July 8.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Thomas Foods International’s chief executive officer Darren Thomas advised employees that the facility would be closed and cease operations for the near to medium future.
“The closure follows on from an extended stand down due to livestock shortages and difficult global trading conditions,” Mr Thomas said.
“In making this decision, we wanted to give our loyal employees some certainty with regards to their employment so they could move on with their lives and either seek alternative positions within our group or pursue other work opportunities elsewhere.”
Mr Thomas said that all employees would be paid their respective entitlements as defined in the company’s enterprise agreement, including any notice period and leave accruals.
“A number of Wallangarra employees have already transferred to our company’s Tamworth operation and we are hopeful that others who have been offered the opportunity will follow suit,” he said.
“Thomas Foods International is very hopeful of retaining skilled employees who wish to relocate to other operations within our group and we would offer what support and training we can in helping in this transition.”
Thomas Foods International maintains large meat processing centres in Murray Bridge in South Australia as well as in Tamworth.
The Wallangarra plant had the capacity to process up to 15,250 lamb, mutton and goat carcases a week. In the past it had employed up to 260 workers, with some skilled workers relocating to the area for employment when other meatworks closed down.
The facility employed a large number of Wallangarra and Tenterfield residents as well as overseas workers, although for the past few months it has been maintained by a skeleton crew and some local businesses have reported a drop-off in trade as a result.