2 Sisters Food Group is closing its Smethwick poultry plant in the West Midlands, UK, which will result in the loss of several jobs.
The 2 Sisters Food Group, which is owned by food tycoon Ranjit Boparan, revealed that the poultry factory at Smethwick, located at the Alpha Business Park in Bevan Way was getting outdated.
Said to be ageing, the Smethwick poultry plant has major challenges to meet the standards required for the company and customers.
In April, it was reported that the plant closure would affect 630 jobs. A 45-day consultation period after that had the company management work out on how the affected employees could be accommodated elsewhere.
British trade union, Unite, which has 530 employees in the Smethwick poultry plants as its members, had taken up their cause with the management of 2 Sisters Food.
According to Unite, it could save up to 250 jobs following its consultations with the company management. The jobs will be moved to other sites of 2 Sisters Food in the West Midlands.
Unite food industry national officer Julia Long said: "However, given the company's business case that this site was ageing and needed drastic modernisation to conform environmentally, we believe that this was the only achievable outcome.
"Unite always has the welfare of its members as the top priority and we are continuing to support them in the days and weeks ahead."
A report from Birmingham Post says that 250 employees at the Smethwick plant have agreed to take severance packages.
A statement from 2 Sisters Food posted by the publication read: "We are currently working hard to explore all job opportunities for the remainder of colleagues, around 90 staff, over the next few weeks and are hopeful more roles will be found.
"It's with much regret that we have had to close one of the original 2 Sisters sites but we have done our very best to find as many alternative roles as possible for colleagues."
