Tasmanian tannery voices concerns over shipping cuts
Tasmania’s largest tannery company has warned the loss of a shipping service from Bell Bay in Tasmania’s north could force it to close. The port’s last freight operator, Agility Shipping, ended its Bell Bay to Melbourne run at the end of August.
Skin and hide processor, Cuthbertson Brothers, has operated for more than 160 years and supplies sheep skins to the well-known Ugg Boot brand. Director Doug Dickenson said the business is now at risk because he is now forced to compete with larger companies for expensive freight space.
“It's going to clog the ports and we’re going to have great difficulty in getting space on the boats,” he said.
Mr Dickenson said many other small exporters could face the same fate unless the state government steps in. “A lot of other medium sized, medium-small companies like ours who are direct exporters out of Tasmania, not getting any support for it will be in the same boat as us.”
