Mars Petcare plans to end operations at a pet food manufacturing facility in Whanganui by the end of 2020. The company plans to move the plant's production of Whiskas cat food pouches to Thailand.
The New Zealand factory employs 152 people, who will lose their jobs after the facility closes. They will receive compensation, retraining and assistance in finding new jobs from Mars, as per a collective employment agreement.
The Whanganui plant has been in existence for 26 years, but the facility had been operating below production capacity for several years. Mars purchased the building from Lucky Petfood in 1993.
