Competition from cheaper, imported products being favoured by consumers, has been blamed for reduced production, leading to the loss of 11 jobs at Shepparton’s SPC.
SPC chief executive officer Neil Brimacombe said cost-of-living pressures have led to consumers purchasing more imported products from lower-cost producing countries such as China and South Africa.
The outcome led SPC to transition its Shepparton production facility to a two-shift operation in the ‘off’ season, resulting in a number of redundancies.
“We have made the difficult decision of offering redundancies to 11 staff members, some of whom have been with us for many years, and it is disappointing that we have had to do so,” Mr Brimacombe said.
The comments come as SPC finalises its Growth Strategy spanning the next three to five years, incorporating significant research, and pointing to future market demands.
Consumers opting for cheaper, imported products to reduce living costs has led to a decrease in demand for SPC peaches and pears, and ultimately impacts to the company’s Shepparton operations, however normalised volumes are expected to resume in 2026.
“Over recent months, we have communicated with our staff about the decrease in demand for our canned peaches and pears, and have given as much advance notice as possible to impacted employees of the changes we need to make to our Shepparton operations,” Mr Brimacombe said.
He said SPC is constantly seeking new and innovative opportunities to increase demand for high-quality Australian-grown products across different categories and packaging formats.
“This month we have participated in the Global Food Forum which was a good opportunity to call upon the food and agriculture sector to unite for better outcomes, acknowledging cost of living pressures, and align with market demands.
“SPC remains committed to our staff, who we recognise are the foundation of our operations and committed to supporting our growers in the Goulburn Valley.
“We will continue to support departing staff members as they explore new career opportunities.”