Fonterra is closing the cheese plant at its Edendale dairy processing site, with 34 jobs impacted.
“After 140 years of making great cheese, it’s time for our cheese plant at Edendale to enter retirement,” Fonterra’s lower South Island operations manager Richard Gray said.
Gray’s written response did not give a reason for the closure, other than to say “as is good business practice, we’re continually reviewing our assets to check we have the right fit to meet our strategy”.
Edendale-based Southland District councillor Paul Duffy said the closure was sad given the long history of cheese making in Southland, but the decision would have been based on financial practicalities.
Gray said the closure impacted 34 jobs.
“We are working with the team on redeployment opportunities, of which there are many both on site and within the co-op.”
Fonterra had not been operating the cheese plant since late last year and the retirement of the plant was now taking immediate effect.
During its recent operation, the Edendale cheese plant had the capacity to produce between 5000 to 10,000 metric tonnes of cheese per year.
Fonterra would continue to produce cheese across New Zealand at nine cheese plants.
Waihopai Toetoe Community Board chair Pam Yorke said she was confident Fonterra was looking after its affected staff.
