The troubled HY Holdings Moe abattoir has been sold to Victorian and Tasmanian processor HW Greenham.
The Moe plant, Tanjil South, has been closed since 2015 but was expected to reopen next month.
Greenham operates to meatworks, in Tongala, Victoria, and Smithon, Tasmania.
In a statement, Peter Greenham junior, said the company had bought Moe from HY Holdings, which operates under the name Tabro.
“Moe complements our existing operations and we are looking forward to getting started,”Mr Greenham said.
“It’s in an excellent region for producing quality cattle and the plant is set up to process them.”
“We understand the importance of employment opportunities in building and maintaining rural communities so we’re keen to see people get back to work in Gippsland.”
Mr Greenham emphasized the necessity for supporting beef and dairy producers in Gippsland with a reliable local operator to process their stock.
Greenham planned to offer its standard 36 hour payment terms to all ‘over-the-hooks’ purchases to assist with cash flow to farm businesses.
There were also plans to open several ‘Live Weight Buying Centres’ – local weekly scales where producers received payment on the spot for their cattle.
A start date for production is planned for mid November.
Tabro chief executive Jack Jiang, also runs the Lance Creek abattoir, north of Wonthaggi, Gippsland.
Australian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU) Victorian secretary Paul Conway welcomed the move.
“Moe has been closed for ages, it opened for a couple of days, to keep the export licence current,” Mr Conway said.
The operating track record for the Moe meatworks had not been good, for some years, as it had changed hands several times.
“The last two acquistions have not gone too well.”
“Greenham are seasoned operators and I would think that would be good and meet the needs of the people down there,” Mr Conway said.
“Greenham has been around a long time, they’ve got sites in Smithton and Tongala and I would say they would make a go of it.”
The Moe works employed between 80 and 100 people when it was operating.
In April, last year, Mr Jiang said Tabro was “here to stay."
He said opening the Wonthaggi plant was the company’s priority.
“When we have accomplished this, we will be looking at our Moe plant. However, Moe will not be reopening in the near future.”
Mr Jiang declined to comment on the latest developments.
