SPC Ardmona review of manufacturing announced
May 6, 2011
The announcement of Coca Cola Amatil (CCA), owners of SPC Ardmona (SPCA) comes as no surprise to local growers. Terry Davis, Group Managing Director of CCA yesterday said that the viability of SPCA would be reviewed, with an interim report coming out in August.
Federal Member for Murray, Sharman Stone said, growers have been told in the last few years that CCA is less interested in buying their fruit and prices have made it very difficult for many to survive locally, however it seems that the last straw for CCA - who is 30% owned by one of the biggest and most viable companies in the world; Coca Cola – has been Julia Gillard’s carbon tax.
“All food manufacturers across Australia are reeling under the prospect of a carbon tax which will put up the cost of their energy use and all of their transport costs.
“In fact the carbon tax looks like having a major impact on all the industrial sectors across Australia.
“Locals should really read the website of CCA and see how very well the company has been doing in all of its food categories, including in Asia-Pacific where it also does the major bottling for Coca Cola,” Sharman Stone said.
“The tragedy for our local SPCA workforce is that it would seem there has not been sufficient investment in new technologies such as new packaging to replace traditional cans.
“It also seems that the Coles/Woolworths duopoly continues to put enormous pressure on food manufacturers to put their products in their home brands at discounted prices.
“I am in close contact with the other food manufacturers across the electorate and I am impressed by their long-term commitments to producing processed foods from some of the cleanest, safest and best fruit and vegetables to be grown anywhere in the world,” Sharman Stone said.
“I have today written to Terry Davis at CCA, along with Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Minister for Agriculture Joe Ludwig and Minister for Regional Australia Simon Crean, telling them to urgently review their carbon tax impacts on food manufacturers and also to have a far better understanding of what would happen if water was removed from the Murray Darling Basin, given food manufacturing depends on water security for farmers.
“Let’s hope that CCA and its big partner Coca Cola decide that the Goulburn Valley is just too good to leave and I’ll do all I can to make sure they stay,” Sharman Stone said.
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