2 Sisters Food Group’s UK poultry division to cease operations after unfavourable review

UNITED KINGDOM – 2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK’s largest food companies, is set to close its poultry processing plant in Llangefni, Wales effective march 31^st.

The company had initially announced plans to close the site in January and after a 45-day consultation period between them, the Unite union and employee representatives, the group found no viable alternative to the site’s closure.

They said in a statement, “All parties agree it is unlikely any viable alternative to closure will come forward before the end of this week when the consultation ends.”

The Llangefni factory is 2 Sisters’ smallest subsidiary with 730 employees whose jobs are currently at risk.

The closure is on account of an unfavourable review released at the end of last year which termed the Llangefni factory unsustainable saying it lacked the space it needed to be efficient and that the production costs in the site are higher than they should be.

In the statement released on March 10^th the company said, “Clearly, this is very upsetting news for all concerned and a very difficult time for everyone at the factory.

“Our sole and continuing focus is those affected by the forthcoming closure, which is why we will now intensify the support we are putting in place for all colleagues.”

The Welsh Government, in collaboration with the UK Government and Anglesey Council, established a task force at the time to offer full support to affected employees and the wider community.

According to the company, all the 730 affected employees would be consulted together with their representatives to explore a range of options including redeployment before the operations of the site are officially halted.

“We are hopeful we can update stakeholders in the coming weeks with some positive news on our efforts to redeploy colleagues within our wider business as well as help them find suitable opportunities outside the company,” they explained.

Before 31^st march when the factory is expected to be closed, production volumes will be significantly reduced in order to maximise the available time for staff members to attend support events which will continue throughout.

As of April 1^st, it is estimated that only around 20 to 25 of the 730 workers will be employed on-site as the company winds down its operation.

Final one-to-one consultations will be carried out in the next couple of weeks, according to the company.

2 Sisters Food Group acquired the Llangefni factory in June 2013 after the UK exit of their Dutch protein company, Vion.

The company’s published accounts revealed that for the year ended 31st July 2021, they reported a £95.5 million (US$103.81M) loss and a pre-exceptional loss of £44.9 million (US$48.81M).

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