Production at Australia poultry group Hazeldenes has been disrupted by a cyberattack.
In an update on its website today (25 February), Hazeldenes said the business has “started a phased approach to return to production which will ensure our operations are restored safely and securely”.
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Hazeldenes, which sold a majority stake to local private-equity firm BGH Capital in 2021, said it started to respond to what it called a “cybersecurity incident” last Thursday (19 February).
“Hazeldenes immediately started taking steps to contain the incident, engaged external cyber-security experts, and notifying relevant authorities,” the company said. “The investigation into this matter is ongoing.”
The business operates farms, hatcheries and processing facilities at more than 50 sites across Victoria and supplies branded and private-label chicken products to “major” supermarket chains and other retailers, according to BGH Capital’s website.
BGH Capital said Hazeldenes processes around 900,000 birds a week and produces more than 85 million kilograms of chicken a year.
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By GlobalDataAustralian broadcaster ABC reported pubs and butchers in Victoria have experienced a shortage of chicken linked to the incident, although Hazeldenes has not quantified the impact on customers.
“We are working with partners to restore impacted operations and understand what has happened,” the company said today.
“We apologise for this disruption and any concern it may have caused. If any data has been impacted, we will notify impacted individuals as required.”
The Hazeldene family, which retained a minority interest after the BGH Capital deal, set up the business in 1938. It is described as “one of Australia’s largest fully integrated poultry producers”.
Hazeldenes’ case marks a number of recent cyberattacks on food businesses around the globe, the most prominent of which has been Japanese group Asahi, which first reported an incident in September.
Disruptions were also reported at US-based grocery wholesaler and retailer United Natural Foods (UNFI) last summer, while a site in Germany operated by dairy giant Arla Foods was also hit.
South African poultry major Astral Foods went so far as to issue a profit warning last spring linked to a cybersecurity breach.
Over in Canada a few years back, meat processor Maple Leaf Foods rejected a ransom demand following a cyberattack in 2022.
