A key papermaking machine at the only newsprint mill still operating in Newfoundland and Labrador will shut down this spring for eight weeks, the parent company said Tuesday.

Corner Brook Pulp and Paper's No. 4 machine will halt production for two months this spring, owner Kruger Inc. said.

Kruger is cutting about 32,000 tonnes of production at its three Canadian mills. For Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, the production cut is about 15,000 tonnes.

The move is the latest production cut in the Canadian newsprint industry, which has been battered by a steep drop in demand for newspapers, many of which are fighting for survival during the ongoing economic crisis.

In February, AbitibiBowater shut down its mill in Grand Falls-Windsor, almost a century after it first started producing newsprint.

Kruger official Jean Majeau said the slowdown at the Corner Brook mill will mean layoffs for about 30 people.

Those workers will be hired back after the eight-week stoppage, he said.