Infrastructure impact
The Town of Berwick is bracing for any further changes at Larsen’s, which announced the closure of its kill floor effective March 26. Forty people will be out of work.
The plant itself represents half of Berwick’s sewer tax revenue, not quite half of the commercial tax collection and is Berwick Electric’s single biggest customer.
Four hundred people work at Larsen’s. The kill floor has the capacity to run 10,000 pigs a week, but it’s dropped to just two days of operation in the last year.
“In the last five years, the Valley has lost 1,700 to 2,000 jobs in and around the agriculture manufacturing sector,” says Kings West MLA Leo Glavine.
“This is an industry that’s rapidly disappearing.”
Glavine says government can do more to support the province’s own production by backing up promises to buy local for its own institutions with guarantees, and invest in agricultural manufacturing and business.
“I don’t see an interest in the government helping the agricultural industry, but they’ve just given millions to pulp and paper - and there are twice as many jobs at Larsen’s as there are in our mills.
“This is a very difficult climate in Nova Scotia for our manufacturing and processing: transportation costs are high, the labour force demands - and deserves - high compensation and there are no guarantees on power rates.”
At Larsen’s, plant manager Mike Lee continues to reinforce parent company Maple Leaf’s commitment to processing. Glavine and Vermeulen also point to the modern equipment, plant hygiene, a skilled and stable workforce and valuable labels that come from Larsen’s value-added processing lines.
“Small, regional plants with a dedicated workforce can be valuable,” Glavine says.
“The impact of these closures (Avon Foods, Maple Leaf Poultry, Eastern protein and ACA Co-operative in just the last four years) has been far-reaching.
“The government needs to step up and stop the bleeding at once.”
