Story by Brad Perry

The McCain Foods plant in Florenceville will be shut down for part of the summer.

Due to a shortage of potatoes, the company will be shutting down operations beginning June 18 until after the long weekend in July.

Calla Farn, vice-president of public relations, expects to have enough potatoes available then until the first part of August, when the plant will be taken offline until the new potato harvest in early August or late September.

Farn says the plant normally closes for a couple of weeks in the summer as they transition to the start of the new potato harvest.

This news follows word that the Grand Falls plant will be closing later this month.

One of their production lines will stop June 10, while the second will stop July 1.

They are expected to be shut down until the new potato harvest.