A decision to shut down the aging Betta Milk manufacturing plant in Burnie has been met with sadness from the local community.
On Monday, new owners Bega announced that production currently undertaken at the north-west facility will be shifted to Hobart from March.
“Today is indeed a sad day and our hearts go out to the employees as they grapple with this news,” Burnie Mayor Teeny Brumby said after the announcement.
“Betta has been an iconic Burnie brand with many locals avidly supporting the purchase of betta milk in preference to much cheaper supermarket milk.”
She said the Betta Milk brand has been produced out of Burnie for seven decades, with her grandfather working for the business and her uncle driving a milk tanker.
“I remember the clever adverts of “Frank & Nikki” that became almost as iconic as the milk itself. They were legendary in drawing additional customer loyalty,” she said.
Bega Group CEO Pete Findlay yesterday said redundancy packages were being offered and redeployment opportunities explored for affected workers.
“Of the employees that have been impacted, 23 are located in Burnie, 14 in Launceston, 13 in Kings Meadows, 10 in Hobart and 2 in Melbourne,” he said.
“Today’s decision was not an easy one to make, and we are working hard to manage this change respectfully with all employees, suppliers, customers and partners.”
The Department of State Growth has assured that workers affected by the closure of Bega’s operations will receive support to find new employment or retrain for different roles.
“Jobs Tasmania will engage with Bega to ensure impacted employees receive comprehensive support and information about their options to find new work,” a State Growth spokesperson confirmed.
“Jobs Tasmania has a range of supports that are available to connect workers to new job opportunities including the Regional Jobs Hub Network and the Career Connector service.”
