Page 9 - National Poultry Newspaper

AgShows provides grants to 122 regional shows
Photo: Bruno Thethe
Nhill, Victoria duck processor slashes more than 60 jobs
DUCK processor Luv-a-Duck has been forced to cut more than 60 jobs because of the impact of coronavirus.
son said the business relied heavily on the restaurant trade and was hit hard by govern- ment closures of indoor venues.
to ensure that the busi- ness remains viable and gets through this storm.
to some of those who have lost their jobs.
Six full-time posi- tions have been made redundant, 15 casual positions have been terminated, 40 ad- ditional casuals have been stood down in- definitely and other casuals have had their hours cut.
“It was like someone switched a light switch and we lost more than 70 percent of our food service market over- night,” he said.
“We could be looking at a good 18 months to two years away.”
The council will em- ploy 13 full-time staff for the next six months, as part of the Victorian government’s Working For Victoria initiative.
Thirty of those stood down worked at the company’s Nhill pro- cessing plant in north- west Victoria, where processing has been cut from five days to three days a week.
“We’ve just had to batten down the hatch- es, drop the periscope and descend to the depths to ensure we can get out to the other side,” he said.
“The business was founded on strength and grit, and it will successfully come out the other side bigger, better and stronger.”
“There may be an op- portunity for people to look at a more perma- nent role as they come up,” he said.
Luv-a-Duck chief ex- ecutive James Thomp-
“It’s beholden on us
Nhill is the biggest town within the Hind- marsh Shire, and the council could be able to provide a lifeline
“But we are anticipat- ing most of the people will go back to their previous employment once that starts to ramp-up again.”
Mr Thompson said the business was pre- pared for a long road to recovery.
Despite the financial impact of COVID-19 on the business, Mr Thompson said he had no doubt it would en- dure.
Council’s chief exec- utive Greg Wood said the aim was for staff to return to their previous jobs after six months.
REGIONAL agricul- tural show societies across Australia will share in $20 million worth of grants to renew and reinvigorate aging showgrounds through the Regional Agricul- tural Show Development Grants program.
Minister for Agricul- ture David Littleproud said the grants would also serve as a much-needed cash injection in the wake of recent bushfires and the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Agricultural shows are a major drawcard for our regional towns many of which have had to cancel events this year due to COVID-19,” Minister Lit- tleproud said.
“These grants will help
show societies refurbish their showgrounds and fa- cilities, so that when their next event rolls around it will be even more attrac- tive to show-goers.
“Ag shows are the heart and soul of our regional communities.
“They bring and keep communities together, link the country to the city and provide a key boost to these local econ- omies.”
These events showcase the hard work and inno- vation that goes into pro- ducing Australia’s food and fibre.
“Upgrading show facili- ties means more visitors to these regional events, more local employment and more tills ringing in
local businesses,” Minis- ter Littleproud said.
“The grants will be used by the successful show so- cieties for a range of in- frastructure works, from small-scale upgrades to major overhauls and new builds that will benefit not only the show, but the community throughout the year, and in emergen- cy situations as was the case in the recent bush- fires.
“The Australian govern- ment wants to see our ag- ricultural shows continue to thrive and be enjoyed for generations to come.”
For successful applicants visit agriculture.gov. au/ag-farm-food/infra structure/ag-shows
View our full range of climate control, floor equipment, structures, layer equipment and incubation systems on our website
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National Poultry Newspaper, June 2020 – Page 9
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