The Kepak meat processing plant in Hacketstown is to close next month with the loss of 49 jobs.
The company informed its staff today that the abattoir will close on the 6th of March after undertaking a review to try to keep the company viable.
The site has been operating on a 2 to 3 day week for the past few years and has been in the town for 27 years.
FULL STATEMENT
Kepak Group has informed staff at its Hacketstown, Co Carlow lamb abattoir that it is to cease operations at the site from 6th March 2014. The Group reviewed a number of options in consultation with the forty nine staff but no commercially sustainable solutions were identified.
“The Group regrets that this is the outcome not only for the staff and their families directly employed there but for the entire community of suppliers and associated service providers who have loyally supported the business over the past twenty seven years. The site has been operating on a 2 to 3 day week for the past few years and the business lacks sufficient scale to be sustainable longer term. The Group has seven other primary and secondary processing facilities in Ireland and will be offering alternative processing related employment at these sites to all staff who are willing to relocate.” a spokesperson said. The Group will also offer all its current farmer suppliers in the locality the option to have their lambs processed at its dual species beef and lamb plant at Kepak Athleague, Co. Roscommon.
Last month the Group announced that it was undertaking a review to examine the cost structures and the plant and business efficiencies at its Kepak Hacketstown site.
The spokesperson added:
“Kepak Group’s commitment to maintaining a progressive presence in all key Irish meat sectors is undiminished. The Group has investments in beef, lamb, pigmeat and convenience meat based food businesses. The Group’s flagship beef and lamb plant at Athleague, Co Roscommon, which has been heavily invested in recent years, will remain a key growth target for the Groups’ lamb activities both for the domestic and export markets.
In 2013 Kepak Group successfully integrated two new sites into its manufacturing base in Ireland at Ballybay Co. Monaghan (burger production) and in Cavan town (pig processing) and now employs over 1700 people in its six Irish manufacturing sites and in its supporting sales & marketing functions.
