CRUCIAL cheese-making equipment at the Leitchville Murray Goulburn plant has been dismantled and moved.
The plant was closed earlier this month.
The Weekly Times understands workers loaded an X-ray machine on to a truck - used to X-ray cheese products before they left the factory - and Murray Goulburn has hired people to dismantle the whey separator machines.
Murray Goulburn chairman Grant Davies said he was not aware of the specific details of the move and labelled it an internal management decision.
"By the sound of it, they will probably use those parts in other cheese plants," he said.
Mr Davies said MG had not made a decision on what to do with the Leitchville plant and if the cooperative acquired Warrnambool Cheese and Butter, the equipment could be shifted to WCB.
He dismissed claims that leaving the plant idle was a waste of the co-operative's money and said the plant had paid for itself in the last 10 years.
MG Cohuna supplier Aaron Sutherland said another milk company with processing facilities in the region would be welcome.
He said smaller farmers, such as himself with 180 head, did not have the option of supplying other companies-some which have a higher milk price- without processing facilities in the area because of transport requirements.
Mr Sutherland said other companies preferred to pick-up farms milking 500 plus cows, however, he thought that if MG sold the Leitchville plant this might change.
Gannawarra Shire mayor Keith den Houting said the council was "hopeful but realistic" about the possibility of another dairy company purchasing or using the Leitchville site.
