UK-based pork processor Karro Food Group has decided to stop part of the operations at a site in Somerset, with the loss of over 90 jobs.
Karro said it would end slaughter and butchery operations at the plant in Wiveliscombe, which it said could not be run profitably. Curing and foodservice sales functions will stay the site, with 38 staff kept on.
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Seamus Carr, Karro’s CEO, said the company had “exhausted all other options”.
“Unfortunately, our Wiveliscombe slaughter and butchery operation did not have the necessary scale to operate profitably, and so proceeding with these changes was critical to ensure our continued viability and growth, and safeguard other jobs across our business,” Carr said. “Employees who have been affected by the redundancies have been given the opportunity to transfer to another of our sites, and we are providing all impacted employees with on-going training and support to assist them in finding new employment.”
In July, Karro received funding from investment firm GE Capital to support the company’s growth in the UK and overseas.
In August, Karro said it was eyeing a doubling of its exports to China with site accreditation for a plant in Northern Ireland, which it hoped to receive this autumn. The company said it was still awaiting clearance.
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By GlobalDataKarro was formed earlier this year after the management buy-out of the UK pork operations of Dutch meat giant Vion.
