Silver Fern Farms rebuilds Te Aroha and purchases Wallace Corp meat plant

Silver Fern Farms reinvestment in a new high tech beef plant and industry aggregation with the purchase of Wallace's Waitoa operation , is a show of confidence in the future.

In a press release today:

Silver Fern Farms has announced plans today to build a new high-tech beef processing plant on its Te Aroha site, subject to final board and other approvals including union agreement. At the same time, the company has advised the purchase of Wallace Corporation’s meat processing plant at Waitoa. Wallace Corporation will retain its rendering, tanning, farming and casualty stock collection business at Waitoa.

Mr Cooper said the company planned to make a significant investment in the new Te Aroha facility subject to obtaining the necessary approvals. Designed in consultation with internationally recognised experts in process layout and ergonomics and incorporating the latest technologies, including sophisticated traceability and yield collection systems, the plant will reflect the company’s focus on plant economics and best practice processing.

The new Te Aroha plant will use significantly less electricity and water per head and discharge less effluent per head processed.”

 Mr Cooper said that the opportunity to acquire Wallace Meats had emerged during the course of the company’s due diligence to identify the best solution to service farmer-suppliers’ needs in the broader Waikato area and at the same time contribute to industry aggregation.

Wallace Corporation Chief Executive Graham Shortland said the company has been planning significant investments in environmental initiatives such as waste to energy and new infrastructure at its Waitoa site. 

“We have well recognised expertise in tanning and rendering co-products and we have been planning capability expansion and further development in these areas to take advantage of new technologies and to be able to undertake forecast growth. The sale of the meat plant potentially brings these plans forward” he said.