Simplot food processing gets $1.5m grant
The money will reduce the company’s power bills by around $491,000 per year and reduce carbon emissions.
“With support from the Labor government, Simplot Australia will upgrade freezing tunnels at its vegetable production site in Bathurst to reduce their power bills by around $491,000 per year, and reduce carbon emissions of the production process by 33%,” said Dr Jess Jennings, Federal Labor candidate for Calare, Australia.
The food manufacturing company warned in June this year it may have to shut down two of its vegetable processing factories in New South Wales and Tasmania due to the high Australian dollar, high labour costs, and dramatically cheaper imports.
The facilities at risk are at Bathurst and Devonport with the latter being the only remaining processor of frozen Australian vegetables.
If the company decides the plants are untenable, Bathurst would close next year with about 200 job losses and Devonport three or four years later, axing 160 staff.
