Suffolk: Up To 700 Jobs Could Go As Chicken Factory Closes

14 October 2013, 15:31 | Updated: 14 October 2013, 15:56

Close to seven hundred jobs could go in Suffolk after the 2 Sisters Food Group announced it would close it's factory in Haughley Park.

The site produces chicken products and the company's told Heart it's 'unsustainable and unviable'.

There are 430 people permanently employed at Haughley Park and another 250 casual workers.  The company say they are hoping to redeploy 200 of their employees to other factories including one in Thetford and one in Eye.

The company released the following statement to Heart: "It is with regret that 2 Sisters Food Group today formally announces its intention to cease production and therefore close its roasted poultry production site at Haughley Park, Suffolk.

"Since informing our employees of this proposal in August, we have continually met with colleagues to try and find other solutions and alternatives to closure.

"However, after taking this time to hear and explore all viewpoints and ideas with employees and union representatives, the inescapable truth is that the site is unsustainable and unviable – environmentally, economically and commercially.

"This decision has not been taken lightly and has been made following a detailed manufacturing footprint review.

"Our immediate focus now will be to support our colleagues and do as much as we can to help during this difficult and uncertain time.

"We are firmly committed to our operations in East Anglia and have invested tens of millions of pounds into the region since 2005. Our sites at Eye, Flixton, Witham, Basildon and Thetford provide livelihoods for more than 2,500 people and their families."