270 Job cut as Port Wakefield’s Seven Point Pork Processing Plant announces closure
JBS Australia has announced that it will be suspending operations indefinitely at its Seven Point Pork processing facility at Port Wakefield in January 2026.
The decision to cease operations at the pork processing facility comes after the reduction of a significant number of pigs from one of JBS’s key strategic partners.
JBS Australia Pork Division Chief Operating Officer, Edison Alvares said that this was a difficult decision for JBS, Seven Point Pork employees and local producers.
“We recognise the impact and concerns this decision has on our valued workforce, their families, and the local community. We will continue to work hard to explore business opportunities that may support the recommencement of operations at the Port Wakefield processing facility in the future”
“Due to the significant number of pigs involved, and the unavailability of replacement pigs, the Port Wakefield facility is simply no longer viable as a pork processing facility in the short term,” Mr Alvares said.
“This is not a decision that we have made lightly, and we are fully committed to supporting our employees through this process by working with them to explore opportunities for redeployment to other JBS operations in South Australia and interstate.”
MP Tom Venning and Wakefield Regional Council in Crisis Talks
Member for Grey, Tom Venning, has initiated crisis talks in an effort to stave off the closure, which will have far reaching impacts and is a “major blow for the region”.
“Obviously, when 270 people lose their jobs, it will have a ripple effect across local businesses, schools, sporting clubs, etc,” Mr Venning said.
His understanding is that the announced closure is linked to a change in the business model of JBS’s supplier, which he believed to be Coles.
“It is clear that the cost of doing business in South Australia is high, and that local businesses are struggling to remain competitive,” he said.
The abattoir is one of the biggest employers in the Wakefield Regional Council, which has also recently suffered the loss of Balco’s main headquarters in Balaklava. Mayor Rodney Reid said council would meet with Regional Development Australia and the State Government this week, and would work towards supporting community members.
