Meat processor Kepak has confirmed that a number of roles have been made redundant at its Clonee site in Co. Meath.

This follows a consultation process with staff over the last number of months.

In January, the processor confirmed that it has "more beef deboning and cutting capacity than supply can sustain" at its Clonee facility.

The group said at the time that a review of its beef deboning and cutting operations had began at Clonee, which sparked concern over the future of some jobs at the site.

Kepak confirmed this week that the consultation process has now concluded.

The business confirmed that a number of roles were made redundant, but that some employees were redeployed into alternative roles within the business.

Kepak said: "There is no change to operations at the Clonee abattoir, which will remain fully operational, and Kepak will continue to source and process cattle from its farmer supply base at the site, as it has done for over 45 years.

"Deboning and foodservice operations at Clonee have been reallocated to other Kepak sites to improve efficiency and better align capacity with available supply," the company said in a statement.

"Our priority throughout has been to support our colleagues through this process while ensuring a more sustainable and secure long-term future for the business," Kepak said.

Challenges across sector

Announcing the review in January, the meat processor said that the review was taking place because of the "ongoing supply challenges across the Irish beef sector that has reduced cattle kills, leading to lower processing volumes".

The company had said: "As a consequence of these national beef sector changes, Kepak currently has more beef deboning and cutting capacity than supply can sustain.

"While this imbalance has been managed in recent years through adjustments to working hours and shift patterns, many employees have consistently not worked full weeks," Kepak said.

According to the meat business, the purpose of the review was to better align beef deboning and cutting capacity with the longer-term beef supply outlook.