Knives out for former meatworks

The former AFFCO meat killing and processing plant at Taumarunui in the Central North Island has been placed on the market for sale – at less than five per cent of what it was once worth.

The 10,000 square metre plant – sitting on 5.5 hectares of land – was once valued at $18million during its peak production period in the 1980s and 1990s. The plant was made redundant in 2009 and has largely remained idle ever since.

The huge site adjacent to State Highway 4 is now being marketed for sale by Bayleys Hamilton at an auction being held on December 13.  Jim McKinlay of Bayleys Hamilton said the vendor’s price expectations was upwards of $450,000.

The property, located on industrial-zoned land, last sold in 2010 but the owner subsequently chose not pursue development options for the plant. Administration offices once associated with the meatworks were sold off separately.

“The plant was constructed around 1981. When the operation was mothballed, the processing lines were largely stripped out by AFFCO. The facility was sold with an encumbrance prohibiting its use for processing or freezing sheep, beef, and goat products” Mr McKinlay said.

“However that encumbrance expires in 2019 and in the meantime does not cover the processing of other meat products such as poultry, dairy production, agricultural goods. Discharge consents have remained in place.”

Within the plant the two largest rooms are each 1000 sq metres with 6m stud and are immediately adjacent to excellent train and rail docks Approximately 400 metres of railway sidings adjacent to the main trunk line is still in place, and capable of reinstatement.

“The existing infrastructure of the plant is robust, and could be re-commissioned into an industrial or manufacturing operation with immediate access to both road and rail links for product transportation both in and out.  Use as a logging depot and or milling plant is also a possibility given the scale of forestry plantings in the area” Mr McKinlay said.