Pilgrim’s to close two sites – potential loss of nearly 700 jobs
Leading pork processor Pilgrim’s UK is planning to close two sites, at Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk, and Coalville, in Leicestershire, and reduce production at its Ashton site, resulting in the potential loss of nearly 700 jobs.
The existing operations at the two plants will transfer to the company’s sites at Corsham, Kings Lynn, Linton and Andover. The processor is also planning to cut production at its Ashton plant, in Manchester, to a four-day week.
The changes will affect around 290 employees at Bury St Edmunds, 350 at Coalville and 35 at Ashton, putting them at risk of redundancy.
The move has been announced after the company’s latest Annual Report and Accounts revealed it recorded an operating loss of £16 million in 2021, on the back of the challenges facing the pig sector.
“Over the last 18 months, the UK pig sector has faced the most challenging time in its history due to a combination of significant increases in production costs, falling pig prices across Europe and the UK, a decline in demand, labour shortages and the restrictions on the ability to export from some sites into key overseas markets,” the company said.
Pilgrim’s said the proposed plant closures were part of a business recovery plan put in place across its UK operations.
Rachel Baldwin, vice president of HR for Pilgrim’s UK, said: “The decision to propose the closure of our Coalville and Bury St Edmunds sites and put a number of roles at risk at Ashton has not been taken lightly, but is unfortunately essential to help our business recover and secure a sustainable future for all of our team members across the UK.
“Clearly, this announcement will have major implications, not just for our sites, but the local communities surrounding them. We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of these proposals and work closely with local authorities and agencies to support our team members through what we know will be an extremely difficult period.”
By Alistair Driver / Pig World
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