The news that Manildra Meat Company will close its doors this Friday, with 150 permanent and 70 casual staff being told their jobs were axed last Friday, came as a shock to the community.

The company, which is the town’s largest employer, has blamed record high livestock prices and the “inability of our customers to absorb these price increases” for shutting up shop.

Mrs Ferguson said she was devastated by the announcement.

“My heart goes out to those workers who have lost their jobs and to their families,” Mrs Ferguson said, adding she is pleased that all entitlements owing to employees will be honoured.

She agreed with union calls for abattoirs close to Cootamundra, including Gundagai, Junee and Wagga, to be encouraged to offer employment to Manildra workers who have lost their jobs.

“All businesses in Cootamundra will be affected by the closure as all the families concerned spent money in the town,” Mrs Ferguson said. 

She said the impact of the job losses will be widely felt. 

“The loss of 220 jobs to a small town like Cootamundra is probably the equivalent to the loss of thousands of jobs in the city,” Mrs Ferguson said. 

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council is seeking to minimise this dependence in the future by creating industrial land blocks to encourage investment in town. 

With industry comes jobs and while it is not an overnight solution, Council Administrator Christine Ferguson said “it has always been in our program to make available more industrial land”.

An industrial subdivison on the corner of Turners Lane and Gundagai Road looked to be forging ahead under Cootamundra Shire Council last year, however earlier this month Council Interim General Manager Ken Trethewey said the project is on hold presently due to lack of funds.

In April 2016, council estimated the development would cost $960,936.

At least one party had expressed significant interest in the development at the time.

Council is now hoping to start work on the project following the next round of Stronger Communities funding. 

Mr Trethewey estimates the project could be six to nine months away from commencing. 

Mrs Ferguson said as part of the $9 million left in the Stronger Communities kitty given to the amalgamated council by the state government for infrastructure projects, council hopes to create more industrial land blocks.

The funding has also been touted to help fix Cootamundra’s dirty water issue by speeding up the pipe replacement program and go towards Gundagai’s ageing sewage system.