Nestle Purina welcomed representatives from across the state, including state Sen. George Borrello, front center, on a tour of its facility in Dunkirk on Friday. Submitted photo

Representatives from agencies and political offices across the state were welcomed for a tour of the Nestle Purina manufacturing facility in Dunkirk on Friday afternoon.

“It’s great to see what is manufactured here,” said state Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay. “The products here are staples in pet food that you see everywhere, and it makes me genuinely proud to have those things here.”

The tour, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, took guests throughout various parts of the facility, highlighting dry foods, traditional treats, and the factory’s newest featured product, molded treats.

“It’s just a great opportunity for us to get many people from the manufacturing side of things all together for the same goal,” said Factory Manager Anthony De La O.

“I just want to give recognition to the employees that work here. When we went through the pandemic, nobody was making pet food from home. A lot of people did tremendous things to make the process work pretty flawlessly,” said Greg Smith, production manager, during a question and answer session held after the tour. “We truly are very fortunate and appreciative of all of our employees.”

Borrello and Assemblyman Andy Goodell were both part of another tour earlier Friday at Cummins Engine facility in Lakewood. Borrello said each tour highlighted a similar issue.

“The conversations we’ve had are all the same — how are we going to deal with the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act) which is calling for eliminating natural gas and all these other radical proposals that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have really brought to New York state,” Borrello said. “It makes you realize that what we have here isn’t going to stay here if we continue with these plans.”

The tour consistently highlighted safety and cleanliness of the facility. Guests and workers were required to pass through automated hand wash stations upon entry and regularly passed through shoe cleaning stations when traveling throughout different rooms of the facility. Guests also signed a non-disclosure agreement and acknowledged viewing a safety video prior to the tour.

Borrello said of the importance of the tour, “Every time I do this, I always learn a lot more. This is critical for me — and I know it is for Andy Goodell — so that we can advocate properly for the businesses and the people of our region by knowing exactly what goes on here and how important it is.”