Mussel processor Sanford has shut its plant in Christchurch at a cost of more than $2 million in exit pay. The company said the closure was in response to a reduction in crop supply, blaming the closure on recent weather patterns. The company has decided to merge its processing into an existing plant at Havelock, near its mussel farms in the Marlborough Sounds.
Sanford chief executive Volker Kuntzsch said the 232 staff would be briefed on the payments they will receive as a result of the closure.
The supply problems were expected to continue for the next two to three years and a decision about the future use of the site had not yet been made.
232 LOOSE JOBS AT SANFORD
