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Tannery announced as part of industrial park development

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister John Efford today announced that government has finalized an agreement with Baie Verte 2000 Incorporated to operate a tannery at the site of the former Baie Verte asbestos mine.

The tannery will be phase one of a project to develop the property into an industrial park that will include a marine oil purification facility.

Mr. Efford said at a news conference it is anticipated that the tannery will be in operation six months from now, employing up to 75 people. The tannery will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, with employment increasing as phase two of the industrial park development is launched.

"This new potential for employment is significant for the Baie Verte region, its people and economy," Mr. Efford said, noting that the thousands of animal hides to be used in the tannery will primarily be imported, but others, such as moose and caribou, will be sourced locally.

The company also plans to use more than 150,000 seal hides in the tannery, and seal oil in the marine oil purification plant at a later stage.

"This will make our sealing industry more competitive. Equally significant is the fact that more secondary processing of our marine resources will be done right here in Newfoundland and Labrador," Mr. Efford said.

Industry and Technology Minister Charles Furey, who also participated in the news conference, announced that the company has qualified for incentives under the province's Economic Diversification and Growth Enterprise (EDGE) program.

"I am pleased to announce that Baie Verte 2000 Industrial Park Inc. is our newest EDGE company. With a business plan that calls for the development of value-added processing in several different areas, this company will provide a strong economic boost to the Baie Verte area. It also represents the kind of diversified companies that we are trying to attract through the EDGE program," Mr. Furey said.

Baie Verte 2000 is a joint venture of Italian and Canadian businesses. The tannery will operate under the company name of Dorset Tannery Inc., a joint venture involving Teleos Trading Inc. of Italy, and NATSIQ Inc. of Canada. Teleos Trading are expert tanners of leather products, with plants in Italy processing high grade finished leather products.

Mr. Armando Meneguzzo, President of Teleos Trading, spoke for the Baie Verte 2000 group at the news conference. He noted that the tannery will be the beginning of other activities to come later, including those in the leather and clothing sector. He expressed the company's pleasure at being part of creating employment in the Baie Verte area, and indicated that the company will find other opportunities for investment in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Contact: Josephine Cheeseman, Fisheries and Aquaculture, (709) 729-3733, or John Doody, Industry, Trade and Technology, (709) 729-0050.