Hundreds of jobs could be lost at a Timaru meatworks in a proposal tabled by plant owners the Alliance Group.

Employees were told at a closed meeting today at Caroline Bay Hall.

A statement from Alliance Group said that about 600 staff would be affected by the proposal.

“If the proposal is confirmed following a consultation process, impacted staff, wherever possible, would be offered the opportunity to apply for re-deployment at the company’s other processing plants, however it is anticipated there would be a significant number of redundancies,” the statement said.

“If the proposal is confirmed, sheep meat, calves and night shift venison processing would cease at the Smithfield plant.

“Alliance would continue venison processing at the plant until no later than the end of December, by which time the company expects to have alternative arrangements in place for deer,” it said.

Alliance chief executive Willie Wiese said, “This proposal aims to align our operations with current livestock availability, ensuring we have the right scale and cost structure to meet future demands as a leading red meat processor.

“By optimising our capacity to match livestock flows, we can position ourselves for long-term success and reduce our cost base,” Wiese said.

“We simply cannot maintain excess processing capacity when livestock numbers don’t support it.”

The 139-year-old plant is the company’s oldest site and required “significant” investment to keep it operational, he said.

A consultation period is due to run until 11 October, with a final decision to be made by 18 October.