Avara Foods is proposing to close its turkey plant in Abergavenny, Wales, and if things go according to plans, operations at the facility would cease in the fall.
The company announced the proposal on May 24.
A notice on the Avara Foods website states that the company will begin a collective consultation process with the people affected by the proposal, and that no final decisions have been made.
“Since the COVID pandemic, we have faced significant inflationary pressure in fuel, commodities and labor, which has driven up pricing and significantly reduced demand for U.K.-produced turkey in the retail market. To maintain a competitive customer offer, we have started to re-engineer our turkey business to operate a more efficient operational footprint focused on fewer, better invested facilities,” the statement read.
“Over the past 6 months we have looked in depth at a range of options to enable our wider business to compete effectively in the market in the future. These included different potential uses for the Abergavenny site.
“Regretfully, this process identified that volumes could be processed more efficiently in our other operations and with lower capital investment. This has resulted in the proposal to close the Abergavenny site.”
According to a BBC report, about 400 people are employed there.
Avara Foods, which also processes broilers and ducks, formed in late 2017 through a joint venture between Cargill and Faccenda Foods. It quickly emerged as the third-largest poultry company in the U.K., trailing only 2 Sisters Food Group and Moy Park.
2 Sisters Food Group previously closed plant in Wales
If the plans to close the Avara plant become a reality, it will be the second poultry plant in Wales to close this year.
2 Sisters Food Group ceased operations at its plant in Llangefni, Wales, citing that the facility was unsustainable, old and lacking the space to run efficiently. The last day of production at that site was March 31.
