McCain Foods in Ballarat has denied plans to shift its local plant to New Zealand within 18 months.
But in a short written statement, Australia/New Zealand managing director Steve Yung has again put pressure on local growers.
“The company is constantly evaluating the competitiveness of all plants in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia and inputs such as potatoes,” Mr Yung said. “McCain has commenced benchmarking programs and will be looking for productivity improvements from potato growers in 2012 to remain globally competitive.”