Pilgrim's UK: Pork factories to close putting 650 jobs at risk

Tulip Ltd rebranded as Pilgrim's Pride Limited in 2020

A pork producer has confirmed two large factories will close, putting more than 650 jobs at risk.

Pilgrim's UK has announced it is to cease operations at plants in Coalville, Leicestershire, and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.

The firm warned staff of the closures in September but has now confirmed the cost-cutting move after consulting unions and employees.

Managers have described the closures as "difficult but necessary."

'Challenging time'

The company said it will embark on a phased closure of the factories as it moves operations to other parts of the UK but it has not said when either will finally close.

It said it was looking to offer staff at risk of redundancy the chance to relocate to minimise job losses.

The Coalville factory has 350 staff, while 290 work in Bury St Edmunds.

The company has also switched its factory in Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, to a four-day week, threatening a further 35 jobs.

A spokesman for Pilgrim's UK said: "Pilgrim's UK has made the difficult but necessary decision to implement the proposal to close our Coalville and Bury St Edmunds manufacturing sites.

"This will be a phased process while the transfer of products to alternative Pilgrim's UK sites takes place.

"We would like to thank all of those involved in the process for their outstanding professionalism and high-quality levels of service maintained, during what we recognise has been a challenging time."

The company, which processes pork, has blamed the closures on "difficult market conditions" in the UK pig sector since 2021.

Its latest annual report said rising inflation in its supply chain, a fall in the price of pork and the economic impact of the war in Ukraine had prompted measures to try to secure the future of the business.

Production is to be moved from Coalville and Bury St Edmunds to Pilgrim's factories in Corsham, in Wiltshire, and King's Lynn in Norfolk, Linton in Cambridgeshire and Andover in Hampshire.

Rachel Baldwin, vice president of human resources for Pilgrim's UK, previously said the closure of the Coalville and Bury St Edmunds sites was "unfortunately essential to help our business recover and secure a sustainable future for all of our team members across the UK".

She added: "Clearly, this announcement will have major implications, not just for our sites, but the local communities surrounding them.

"We will do everything we can to minimise the impact of these proposals and work closely with local authorities and agencies to support our team members through what we know will be an extremely difficult period."