THE red meat processing industry’s labour crisis looks like worsening in coming months, as some workers involved in the first round of Pacific Island labour recruitment programs complete their four year contractual terms, and have to head home.
One large multi-site processor told Beef Central last week that it stood to lose around 90 Samoan or Solomon Islanders from its books in coming months.
That would happen in stages as their four year terms under the Pacific Labour Scheme expired, starting this month through to August, having arrived in 2018.
Part of the reason was a change in…