PPCS yesterday confirmed the closure of its Burnside venison and skin processing plant in Dunedin with the loss of 138 positions and its Oringi works in Hawkes Bay, with the loss of 466 jobs.
Dunedin workers were yesterday told of the decision to close Burnside at a meeting in Green Island at which they were also told how much redundancy pay they would receive, but many said closure did not come as a surprise.
"We knew it last week. It was all decided last week," one worker said as he left the meeting.
Jerome Dunn said although it was not a surprise, it was still taking time to sink in.
"It's been a rough week. We have mixed feelings," he said.
It was tough on those workers who had been at the plant for a number of years, he said.
Mr Dunn and fellow worker John Stevenson started at Burnside in late January, but soon after were offered new positions at Silverstream before Burnside closed.
"For us the choice is to take redundancy and reapply once the season starts up again," he said.
It was an option he was considering.
Other workers commented that they had been offered alternative work while others said they would take some time off to decide what to do next.
PPCS chief executive Keith Cooper said next season the company would have about 100 seasonal vacancies at its South Island works and another 175 at its North Island plants, for which those made redundant could apply.
The final decision to close the plants followed up to two weeks of consultation with staff.
Workers spoken to at yesterday's Green Island meeting said no alternatives were offered.
Several workers commented on the age and dilapidated condition of the Burnside works, one of the reasons PPCS has cited for its closure.
"It's like going from the 18th century to the 20th century," Mr Dunn said of moving from Burnside to Silverstream.
Mr Dunn also praised the company for the support offered to redundant workers, which included resource centres at both plants to help staff find work, develop curricula vitae, help with budgeting and counselling.
Mr Cooper said he realised the decision to close would have an impact on communities and people's livelihoods.
"The hard reality is that these closures are necessary to reduce excess production capacity in the face of a significant ongoing decline in livestock numbers."
North Island sheep numbers were expected to fall 500,000 in the next three years, while processing capacity had increased more than two million in the last two years.
National deer numbers were forecast to drop from 760,000 in 2006 to 500,000 next year.
Both Burnside and Oringi were closed for the season and would not reopen.
Mr Cooper said PPCS had begun negotiations for the sale of its 57ha Burnside site.
