Masterton fire fails to halt egg exports

CLOSE CALL: Graeme Napier, Henergy Cage-Free company founder, at the scene of a fire that destroyed a storage shed. PHOTO/ LYNDA FERINGA

A blaze at Henergy Eggs farm near Masterton claimed a building that will cost "hundreds of thousands" to replace but has failed to halt production on the cusp of a breakthrough international export.

Graeme Napier, company founder and managing director, was on-site with about 30 workers at the 80,000-hen egg farm on Te Ore Ore Settlement Rd, when fire erupted just before 2pm on Monday in a large four-bay building used as a workshop and storage area.

The 10m x 30m structure, which was destroyed in the fire, contained moulded fibre egg cartons and had stood at a distance of no more than 30m from three other buildings at the site including a pair of large sheds together housing 11,000 hens, and a facility where workers pack the eggs.

Mr Napier said the cause of the blaze was yet to be determined. Fire investigators had finished their work but the charred ruins of the building were still under a cordon yesterday and a security guard had been posted around the clock until insurance assessors examine the site.

Mr Napier said the fire came at a time when the company, which first introduced barn eggs in New Zealand, was preparing an inaugural export to Singapore.

The contract was a breakthrough for Henergy Eggs in a market favouring barn eggs as less of a food safety risk than free range eggs.

The first shipment was due for consignment a week ago but there had been a "logistics delay" with the supermarket changing its systems.

The Masterton eggs would now begin shipping to Singapore from September 11, he said.

"It's not a major export yet but it could become significant for us in the future. But we're fully operational and the fire has not affected that contract in any way - it's business as usual."

"We do need that storage space though and in the meantime we may hire temporary container storage as a stopgap until we put a new building there."

He said construction of a replacement building would easily cost "hundreds of thousands" and may not start until next year.

A farm manager had spotted smoke rising from the storage building and raised the alarm on Monday, and Mr Napier had at first feared for the safety of his staff and the nearby poultry and buildings.

A "fortunate" southeasterly wind and the efforts of firefighters dampening the hens' buildings and the pack house had kept the blaze from becoming far worse, he said.

"The building was full of packaging - moulded fibre egg cartons - and that really is major fuel once it's alight. There was a lot of heat, a lot, going on to all the surrounding buildings but the wind was blowing the right way."