Open Country opens butter plant
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Immigration and Associate Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says migrant workers are a small but important part of the dairy industry workforce, filling gaps where not enough New Zealanders are available.
About 1500 migrant dairy workers – mostly from othe Philippines, now make up 6% of the workforce.
Migrant-worker demand has risen recently because of difficulty attracting and retaining local workers in some parts of rural New Zealand.
