Alliance Group will ramp up recruitment efforts in Southland this year as it tries to fill jobs usually held by seasonal migrant workers at some of its biggest plants.
“While we are still awaiting the end of the statutory appeal period, we are confident that we can now move forward with sustainability plans for the plant. We are committed to improving our environmental performance across all sites. “Locally, we will be investing in a UV disinfection system for wastewater, and a biological treatment system that will reduce the total nitrogen discharged by approximately 50 per cent and improve the health of the Mataura River and the Toetoes Estuary” The decision says the company is proposing to take and discharge less water than it currently uses by introducing operating efficiencies During a hearing held in December it put forward staged improvements to the plant, including installing a $4.14 million UV plant to inactivate pathogens in wastewater discharged to the Mataura River, re-routing pipework to prevent the risk of waste leaking into water races or the river, and replacing screens so that fish are not trapped in pipes.
Chief executive David Surveyor said the project was a key part of the co-operative’s beef growth strategy and in direct response to farmer demand. “We have seen a steady increase in supply volumes year-on-year and our farmers have been seeking more beef capacity in peak season. This investment meets this need but also benefits our deer farmers because we have increased the plant’s venison processing capacity,” he said. Alliance Group would continue investing in a premium beef portfolio and strengthening its beef performance at its Mataura, Levin and Pukeuri (Oamaru) plants, Surveyor said. He believed the beef expansion showed the co-operative’s commitment to the Lorneville plant and said it would create longer seasons for staff and add new jobs to the region.
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