The UK’s largest supplier of supermarket chicken, which was at the heart of the poultry safety scandal last year, is planning three factory closures that put 900 jobs at risk.
Chicken supplier 2 Sisters Food Group has put 350 jobs at risk at its Smethwick site, 100 roles in Wolverhampton and 450 jobs at its Cambuslang site in Scotland.
“As we continue to build a better business, we are simplifying how we work and investing in the areas that can make the most positive difference to our UK poultry operations.”
The company, owned by so-called ‘Chicken King’ Ranjit Boparan, said that it would be creating “up to 1,000 new roles within the poultry supply chain”, as part of this step. These include 300 new roles in is Willand site in Devon and 30 additional jobs in Scunthorpe.
In Scotland it will create 250 new roles at its Coupar Angus factory and in Wales it will add 35 in Llangefni, Anglesey.
It also said that “potentially 400 new roles” would be created in its West Bromwich factory.
The company temporarily closed the West Bromwich site last year after undercover footage from The Guardian and ITV News showed workers at the company retrieving chicken that had been dropped on the floor and returning it to the production line as well as older chicken being mixed with fresher birds.
In October, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee grilled Mr Boparan about safety standard breaches at 2 Sisters Food Group following reports of poor standards at the company’s site in West Bromwich.
Mr Boparan apologised for the scandal and pledged to improve standards at the factory, increase training for his workforce and install cameras to monitor staff.
By Ayesha Javed
Source: The Telegraph
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