ABP plant closure sends shockwaves through Dungannon - MP
DUP agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart said she is "deeply shocked and disappointed" that ABP Linden intends to cease its retail packing operation on the outskirts of Dungannon.
The meat processor confirmed last evening (Tuesday, January 20) that it has entered into a formal consultation process with 338 staff "whose jobs are at risk" at the Co. Tyrone facility.
A spokesperson for ABP, which owns Linden Foods, said: "Changes in the UK landscape have led to the difficult but necessary requirement to consolidate and reduce the number of our retail packing facilities situated within the UK including Northern Ireland".
ABP said it "will seek to minimise the impact on those who are affected" and added that this "would include redeployment where possible".
ABP plant
Reacting to the announcement, MP Lockhart said: "This decision will send shockwaves through the local community and beyond".
"These are skilled, hardworking people with families who depend on this employment, and for them this news will be devastating.
"Dungannon and the wider Mid-Ulster area has a proud industrial and agri-food heritage. The Linden facility has been a significant employer for decades, and its importance to the local economy cannot be overstated.
"While the company has cited changing market conditions and the need to consolidate and reduce its packing facilities across the UK, that will be of little comfort to workers now facing enormous uncertainty about their futures," she added.
The MP noted ABP's commitment to enter into consultation and to explore re-deployment where possible.
"I will be seeking urgent engagement with ABP Linden’s senior management to ensure that every possible alternative to redundancy is fully explored and that workers are treated fairly, transparently and with respect throughout this process.
"I will also be raising this matter urgently with the Economy Minister and other relevant stakeholders.
"There must be a coordinated response to support affected workers, including retraining opportunities, redeployment support and wider economic intervention to protect jobs in Dungannon area," she said.
Lockhart added that "decisions of this magnitude" underline the ongoing challenges facing Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector.
The MP said that ABP has confirmed that it will continue to slaughter and process locally produced cattle and sheep at the Granville site in Dungannon. While its facilities at Newry and Lurgan will not be impacted.
