Migrant workers told to relocate or leave after closure of Seven Point Pork Abattoir

Port Wakefield locals fear a decision to close a local abattoir could split up families, with migrant workers facing the prospect of being deported if they don’t relocate for work.

Seven Point Pork abattoir at Pt Wakefield announced is set to close. Picture: Brett Hartwig.

Port Wakefield locals fear a decision to close a local abattoir could bring the drought-devastated region to its knees and split up families, with migrant workers facing the prospect of being deported if they don’t relocate for work.

JBS Australia announced on Tuesday they will close the Seven Port Pork abattoir at Port Wakefield in January next year, with at least 270 jobs set to be axed.

It comes after one of their key customers, Coles Supermarkets, reduced their order.

Seven Port Pork Abattoir is set to close in January, with 270 jobs at risk of being cut. Picture: Supplied

A long-time worker, who said her partner was employed on a temporary visa.

She feared he could be forced to leave Australia if he didn’t relocate to one of JBS’s other abattoirs in Bordertown or Victoria.

“Most of us are born and bred here or on Yorke Peninsula and this is our life, our children’s life, and we don’t want to move,” she said.

“My partner is a hard worker with amazing skills that would really benefit Australia, but he and a lot of other workers might have to leave their families behind.

“A lot of overseas workers are applying for partner visas, and had plenty of time to do that with their four-year visa, but now it’s been cut short and we don’t know if we will get it in time.”

Under a temporary skills in-demand visa, migrants can only work in the occupation and business nominated in their application.

“These people are the heart and soul of our work family here, they’ve met partners, had families, but they could be forced to leave us behind with no income security,” she said.

“We are heartbroken and don’t know what to do.”

Seven Point Pork employs 46 Pacific Islanders under a Federal labour scheme, with these workers set to return home at the end of October.

Under the scheme’s guidelines, these workers must have “contingency plans” in place for “unforeseen circumstances” - including business closure.

A State Development spokesman told The Advertiser the South Australian and Australian governments were working with Seven Point Pork to redeploy these workers to another approved employer.

The decision has sparked fears about the future of Port Wakefield Primary School, which has just 31 students.

An Education spokeswoman told The Advertiser they were “not aware” of any children who were enrolled in the school whose parents work at the abattoir.

“The school doesn’t have any enrolment concerns for the immediate future, and there are no plans to close the school,” the spokeswoman said.

JBS Australia did not respond to questions from The Advertiser.

Large Filipino community facing worrying times

Rising Sun Hotel publicans Dylan and Bek Stodart have revealed they fear the impact the job losses will have on their business.

They say they get abattoir workers come in for “a drink or some dinner” as early as 3pm everyday.

Ms Stodart said the job losses had already sparked fears in the town.

“Since the announcement on Monday, it has become a bit doom and gloom for us … just thinking about the impact it will have not only on our pub but for the town’s livelihood and housing developments,” she said.

“We want to see this town prosper but without steady jobs its hard to have a thriving community.”

Ms Stodart added migrants from South-East Asia have been particularly “hard hit” by the job cuts.

“There’s a large Filipino community in Port Wakefield,” she said. “A good portion of them were sponsored to work at the abattoir and their partners found a job elsewhere in town - like our kitchen chef.

“But now, with the job cuts, it’s a very frightening time for them.

“It’s especially challenging to the Filipinos that have settled down around here and got a mortgage because they believed they found themselves long-term, safe employment … and now, it’s like they can’t leave but they can’t stay here either.”

Mayor fears community members on working visas may need to relocate

Mayor Rodney Reid feared people on working visas would be forced to relocate to find another job despite having strong ties within the local community.

“We will lose families where one person works at the abattoir and the other works at another local business,” Mr Reid said.

“Existing businesses and retail outlets will lose customers, which then impacts down through local sporting clubs and schools.

“That flow of money down through retail, entertainment, and shopping is tight already because of the drought, so it’s a double whammy on top of that.”

He said the council was meeting with the state government officials tomorrow to find out more about the upcoming closure.

JBS Australia’s chief operating officer of the Pork Division Edison Alvares said they would work with local workers to redeploy them.

“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,” he said.

Locals warn town will ‘die’ with more job cuts

Port Wakefield Bakery owner Chris Robertson said the 600-person town would “die” if they suffered any more job cuts.

She said her business is primarily dependent on passing travellers stopping for a bite on their way to Mid North or Yorke Peninsula.

However, Ms Robertson fears the “lack of growth” in Port Wakefield has led to many businesses around her shutting their doors for good.

“Over the past six or eight weeks, the three business next to me have shut,” she said.

“The RAA has relocated, the seafood place has shut, and the Coles Express has shut.

“The town is just dying; we’ll be nothing but a stop shop town if we keep losing business and jobs.”

A long-time abattoir worker, who wished to remain anonymous, said colleagues faced the prospect of uprooting their entire families to find work.

“We are locals and have beautiful families here so we can’t just move on that easy,” they said.

“There’s so much heartbreak, so many tears, this has absolutely destroyed us.”

Community leaders say the decision has rocked the wider Port Wakefield region.

Local member Tom Venning said the decision would force a Yorke Peninsula pig farmer to drive an additional two hours to get his animals processed by a Murray Bridge abattoir.

It comes after his property was decimated by the record-breaking drought.

“It’s come at a time when regional South Australia is already on its knees with the drought, which is the worst in history,” Mr Venning said.

“At the moment his pigs are the only profitable part of his farm.

“It’s a huge uncertainty for him and rubbing salt into the wounds.”

JBS employee Jesse Overington said there were “warning signs” to suggest the abattoir would slash jobs but it wasn’t confirmed until Monday.

“We were told to come out into the carpark and when we saw all our managers, and human resources, and lawyers standing there - that’s when we realised this is serious,” Mr Overington said.

Workers Jesse Overington, Nathan Williams and Josh Jansen at the Rising Sun Hotel after their shift. Picture: Brett Hartwig.

“We were told that at the end of this year, we wouldn’t have a job here anymore.

“Since then (JBS) has been holding one-on-one meeting with employees discussing the possibility to relocate to Bordertown or interstate.”

Mr Overington said he doesn’t believe he will take up JBS on the offer to relocate because there is no accommodation support.

Instead, he might take up a job as a tradie.

Meanwhile, Nathan Williams said he “feels bad” for the migrants who have recently renewed their work visa.

“I know a few Sudanese boys who have recently renewed their work visas but now they actually face the risk of being deported,” Mr Williams said.

Another worker - who asked to remain anonymous - said employees who have worked over a year with JBS will receive a redundancy package. The rest will allegedly not receive any.

Local MP Tom Venning said the decision was another kick in the guts for farmers doing it tough. Supplied.

A government spokesperson said that the state government has promised to offer support to any JBS worker impacted by the sudden job loss.

“Workers facing retrenchment and their partners have immediate access to Workforce Australia provider services under the Early Access initiative, regardless of their eligibility for income support payments,” they said.

“Over the next six months, prior to its forecasted closure in January 2026, JBS will explore business opportunities to support the recommencement of operations at the Port Wakefield facility.

“It will also look at opportunities for redeployment of Port Wakefield employees across JBS’ network in South Australia and interstate.”

The decision has thrown the future of Port Wakefield Primary School into doubt, which only has 27 students.

Rising Sun Hotel owners Dylan and Bek Stodart are concerned about the effects of closure on the town. Picture: Brett Hartwig.

The decision was made after Coles Supermarkets reduced their order. Picture: Supplied

The Advertiser also understands the Seven Point Pork Abattoir workers have been asked to “remain loyal” to the company and stay on the job for another six to seven months before they start looking for other employment.

This has caused outrage among the workers.

Of the 270 jobs set to be cut, 160 of those are in the Port Wakefield region, while others commute from Balaklava, Lochiel and Kadina.

Originally published as Migrant workers told to relocate or leave after closure of Seven Point Pork Abattoir