Sealord Mulls Shifting To Seasonal Operations But Jobs Still At Risk

Credit: Sealord.

New Zealand seafood processor Sealord has updated unit connected imaginable occupation losses arsenic it reviews moving to a seasonal operating pattern. 

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Earlier successful September, Sealord signaled nan imaginable closure of its coated-fish works successful nan larboard metropolis of Nelson, a move it said astatine nan clip would put 79 roles astatine risk. 

In today’s statement, Sealord said it was “potentially facing a afloat unopen down of its caller food trawler and each land-based operations astatine its Nelson site”.

CEO Doug Paulin explained: “Instead of closing our Nelson tract completely, which would effect importantly much imperishable labor and beryllium a awesome economical deed for nan region, this seasonal connection would mean that we’re capable to clasp nan mostly of our Nelson-based operations and nan jobs associated pinch them.”

If adopted, nan group said it would support 81 imperishable roles and 400 seasonal positions. 

A determination connected whether to displacement to seasonal operations is expected successful mid-October. Meanwhile, Sealord said consultations connected nan projected closure of nan Nelson coated-fish mill concluded today, pinch a last determination owed connected 3 October.  

Paulin reiterated nan challenges nan business is facing, pinch nan reviews “driven by nan request to accommodate to nan challenging economical situation pinch escalating operating costs, deflated world commodity pricing for stiff fish, decreasing measurement and ever-increasing regulatory compliance costs complete nan past 10 years”. 

The modulation to a seasonal cognition “reduces our operating costs, increases returns from these commodity export products to a viable level and allows america to invest” successful catching and processing food during nan hoki season, Paulin said. 

The CEO went connected to opportunity that for Sealord to beryllium economically sustainable successful nan agelong run, “we must trim our costs and alteration complexity to attraction connected our halfway business of fishing”.  

The institution has faced challenges astatine its Nelson operations before. 

In 2014, it announced plans to trim 97 jobs at its bedewed food processing site, stating that nan mill was “not economically viable” successful its existing form. 

At nan time, nan patient projected shifting to a smaller cognition focused connected higher-value products. 

Meanwhile, successful 2023, Sealord acquired Independent Fisheries, becoming New Zealand’s largest seafood business.