Pork provider, Pilgrim’s UK has proposed the closure of its Bury St Edmunds and Coalville production sites, risking the jobs of over 600 of its workers.
It also plans to cut production at its Ashton site down to four days per week, seeing a further 35 people at risk of redundancy.
According to The Grocer, in a statement published by Pilgrim’s UK, it said the proposed closures looked to ensure its “operational footprint across the UK is fully optimised” as “some sites are significantly under-utilised in terms of operational capability and capacity”.
If the proposed plans go ahead, the company’s existing operations at these sites will transfer to other sites at Andover, Corsham, King’s Lynn and Linton.
During its collective consultation, current employees at Bury St Edmunds and Coalville will be able to apply to transfer across to other Pilgrim’s UK sites.
“The decision to propose the closure of our 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,” Pilgrim’s UK vice president of HR, Rachel Baldwin told The Grocer.
“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.”
This news comes following the company’s ‘Challenges of 2021’ report last week which announced that Pilgrim’s UK recorded operating loss of £16 million in 2021.
It also said, ‘the sector continues to face ongoing challenges from rising feed and energy costs, which have been accelerated by the war in Ukraine and Pilgrim’s UK will continue to identify ways to deliver further operational efficiencies.’
