Workers from Longford’s JBS abattoir will know all too well the feeling their Devonport coworkers may now be feeling.
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More than 100 people from the North-West will lose their jobs after the shock announcement by JBS Australia that it would close the Devonport abattoir.
The company announced plans to cease operating on November 15.
JBS has operated the Devonport City Abattoir since 2008 as a service kill facility for customers who supply their own livestock for processing.
The facility processes most of Tasmania’s pigs, and can process up to 200 cattle, 600 pigs and 3800 sheep per week.
It is the latest in a round of factory cuts, after Cadbury announced in September it would cut 40 workers from the Twirl line of the Claremont factory.
While Longford is safe from this latest shock announcement, it is not unfamiliar with employment termination.
JBS is no stranger to job cuts, the Longford factory has been a yoyo of employment for the past several years.
In 2016-17 jobs at Longford were cut and reinstated several times.
The jobs were cut, readvertised and cut again.
Market conditions change, especially in the meat industry, and they change quickly.
Demand and cost are competing demands that must be met to ensure adequate supply.
In addition, agriculture is a hard task master – the perils of the weather can wipe out stock in the blink of an eye.
But, on the flip side, favourable conditions can mean excess stock that can’t be processed fast enough.
While its understandable that the industry is changing and that attitudes towards the meat industry and sustainability also come to the fore, it is understandable the factory must change with it.
However, there needs to be some certainty in the situation for these displaced workers, especially those at other abattoirs who will now be looking closer to home about their own futures.