5 COVID-19 cases prompt idling of Ingham’s plant

Operations were temporarily halted at an Ingham’s further processing plant in Thomastown, Victoria, Australia, after the company learned five employees tested positive for COVID-19.

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(Maridav | Bigstock)
(Maridav | Bigstock)

Operations were temporarily halted at an Ingham’s further processing plant in Thomastown, Victoria, Australia, after the company learned five employees tested positive for COVID-19.

According to a notice on Ingham’s investor relations website, the plant was temporarily taken offline on July 22, and employees were advised to self-isolate at home.

“It is imperative that we continue do everything possible to ensure the health and safety of our people, communities and to assist in controlling the spread of the coronavirus,” Jim Leighton, CEO and managing director of Ingham’s said in the notice.

Contingency plans for plant closures have been in place for several months. The company said it is working with its customers to minimize supply chain disruptions and to ensure that products remain available to consumers across Australia.

“Ingham’s has worked diligently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain the highest standards of health and safety for our people, whilst maintaining flexibility to ensure we service our customers and consumers through this period of uncertainty. The closure of Thomastown is a proactive step taken on our part, and we are well prepared to manage through this disruption,” said Leighton.

Information concerning the reopening of the plant has not been made available.

Ingham’s other sites across Australia and New Zealand remain in operation.

The temporary closure of the Thomastown plant is not expected to materially impact the business results of Ingham’s Group for fiscal year 2021.

Ingham’s, according to the Poultry International Top Companies rankings, is the second largest poultry producer of Oceania, slaughtering 181.3 million broilers annually. The company is involved in the production of both broilers and turkeys.

Ingham’s operates more than 340 vertically integrated facilities across Australia and New Zealand. Ingham’s operates 74 breeding farms, 225 broiler farms and nine distribution centers, in addition to numerous feed mills, hatcheries, processing and further processing plants. As Australia's second-largest feed producer, Ingham’s also makes feed for poultry, horses, dairy cows and pigs.

View our continuing coverage of the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic.

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