Karro Food Group – the company that acquired the Vion UK pork operations in a management buyout earlier this year – is considering scaling back operations at its Wiveliscombe site in Somerset, ending slaughter and butchery and focusing on curing and foodservice activities only.
The company today informed employees of the proposal and kicked off a 45-day consultation. If the plans go ahead, 113 of the current 131 jobs at the site would be at risk of redundancy.
Karro said it was working closely with unions to identify possible redeployment opportunities for staff.
The proposal to scale back activities at Wiveliscombe is part of a strategic review to improve scale and efficiency across Karro’s operations. The Wiveliscombe site is the smallest of Karro’s processing sites, handling on average about 5,000 pigs a week compared with 18,500 at Karro’s Malton site and 21,500 at Cookstown.
“There is over-capacity in the UK meat industry and we, in common with our competitors, need to ensure that our business is operating efficiently, and that our sites are at close to full capacity,” said CEO Seamus Carr.
“Sadly, our Wiveliscombe slaughter and butchery operation simply does not have the necessary scale to operate profitably and so we must propose this change in order to ensure our continued viability and growth, and safeguard other jobs across our business.”
Karro stressed that although slaughtering and butchery at Wiveliscombe lacked scale, the Wiveliscombe foodservice sales business as well as the curing carried out for Karro’s Case and Sons brand and own-label meat ranges remained key parts of the company’s growth plans. “Karro will continue to develop and grow these areas in Wiveliscomeb,” a spokeswoman added.
Karro bought the Vion UK pork operations in January this year.
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