Hundreds of jobs are at risk after 2 Sisters announced plans to close its processing plant at Llangefni, Anglesea. The company has begun a consultation on the closure, which would affect 730 jobs.
The company said it needed “to make operational changes to help us overcome the continuing challenges facing the food manufacturing sector.”
The poultry company said: “Regrettably, the review shows our Llangefni factory is not sustainable. It is old, one of our smallest sites and lacking space to be efficient. The cost to produce here is higher, and it would require significant investment to bring it up to the standards of our other factories. Our products can be made more efficiently elsewhere across our estate.
“Therefore our proposal is to cease operations at the factory, putting the site at risk of closure.
“Clearly this will be extremely disappointing news for our Llangefni colleagues, and it is no reflection of their continuing hard work and commitment. However, we have a duty to remain competitive and protect our wider business on which many thousands of people depend.
“Our key priority now is to hold meaningful consultations with all affected employees and their representatives and explore the full range of options before making any final decisions about the closure of the site.
“These options will include all redeployment opportunities in the region with the help of all relevant support agencies, both inside and outside the business.”
Unite the union said the factory was one of the largest employers on Anglesey. “The closure of 2 Sisters would be a catastrophic blow to the economy and local communities of Anglesey and North Wales as a whole,” said Peter Hughes, Unite Wales regional secretary. “The company has dropped this bombshell on its workforce without consultation and without any notice whatsoever. To say that our members are outraged at the way they have been treated is an understatement.
“Unite will fight to reverse this decision. Urgent talks are scheduled for tomorrow and 2 Sisters have big questions to answer. Every possibility of reversing this decision will be explored by the union. We intend to force the company to reconsider and we will demand that the Welsh Government joins the campaign to save the plant. This decision cannot be accepted.”