Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Will Foley: Central Hawke's Bay Mayor on McCain's plans to close its Hastings vegetable processing plant

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Will Foley: Central Hawke's Bay Mayor on McCain's plans to close its Hastings vegetable processing plant · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Another big blow for Hawk's Bay veggie growers. McCain, the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: world's biggest frozen food companies, shutting its Hastings veggie plant.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: What is already acting its frozen veggie production. Will Foley
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  Speaker 1: is central Hawk's Bay Council mayor with us this Morning Morning.
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  Speaker 2: Will Morning Rime. Yeah, good on the show, but not
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  Speaker 2: for yeah, good reason.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely not. Do you know how many workers would be
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  Speaker 1: affected by this?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we don't know yet from McCain's exactly the number,
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  Speaker 2: but obviously there'll be a significant number of workers in
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  Speaker 2: that factory, but it's more or just on top of
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  Speaker 2: the whole supply chain. Really, there's thousands of hectares grow
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  Speaker 2: in my districts in Shawk's Bay, probably equally in Hastings
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  Speaker 2: and then all the logistics of transporting the produce and
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  Speaker 2: get its factory and then on from there. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: quite significantly.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, the fifty tons of veggies a year come from
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  Speaker 1: around your way. Do you know what that means for
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  Speaker 1: crop farmers?
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  Speaker 2: Well, to be honest, Ran that they're still in shock.
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  Speaker 2: We were digesting the Waddy's announcement a few weeks ago
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  Speaker 2: and talking to farmers and they were saying, look, it's
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  Speaker 2: probably not as big an impact than walk spaces and
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  Speaker 2: likes of Canterbury with that decision, and we're quite lucky.
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  Speaker 2: We've got McCain's here and we're going strong and everything's
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  Speaker 2: going well in that regard. So this has come as
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  Speaker 2: a complete shock, and so farmers are just having to, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: probably digest now what this means for them in twelve
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  Speaker 2: months time. What would they be doing instead of to
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  Speaker 2: replace that area that was in vegetables.
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  Speaker 1: What else can they do? I mean that you're basically
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  Speaker 1: responding to shock after shock, can't you.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, And obviously not great timing with what's happening around
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  Speaker 2: the world and the fuel price impacts that's having on
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  Speaker 2: just everyday people and businesses already. So yeah, I don't
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  Speaker 2: think there's going to be any quick, easy answers because
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  Speaker 2: there's a lot of uncertainty out there. We've got some
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  Speaker 2: good things going on at the moment in the shed
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  Speaker 2: and beef sector, in the horticultural sector, so yeah, hopefully
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  Speaker 2: there is some options, but it's just going to take
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  Speaker 2: time to people to digest and work out what is
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  Speaker 2: the best option.
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  Speaker 1: And farmers in Canterbury are talking to said that we
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  Speaker 1: could see more conversions. Do you think we might see
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  Speaker 1: that in Central Hawk's Bay.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we don't have as much water as Canterbury for irrigation,
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  Speaker 2: so that kind of restricts our options. As I said,
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  Speaker 2: the shedon beef sector's going well, and that's our kind
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  Speaker 2: of our largestly and news area in Haalks Bay at
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  Speaker 2: the moment. And so yeah, it's not going to be
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  Speaker 2: as profitable as crop farming, but it is an option.
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  Speaker 2: And then horticulture as well, but there's significant cost and
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  Speaker 2: converting to things like air orchards and the like. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: some big decisions to come.
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  Speaker 1: Well, appreciate your time this morning. We'll follow mere Central
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Hawk's Bay District Council for.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: More from early edition with Ryan Bridge.
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