MORE than 140 workers are to lose their jobs at the Unipork plant in Cookstown, Co Tyrone, as the Northern Ireland pig processing industry attempts to cope with the recent sharp rise in prices.
Protective redundancy notices have been issued to all 400 workers at the factory. Unipork has already said it will be closing its plant in Newry, Co Down, with the loss of 140 jobs. The company also employs around 400 people in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
There has been increased competition for supplies since the acquisition of the Ballymoney, Co Antrim company, Lovell & Christmas by the UK group Malton, which has an annual turnover of over £350 million. This has coincided with a severe shortage of supplies. Only around 20,000 pigs per week are available to Northern Ireland processing companies, around half the number on offer five years ago.
Farmers are now finding that prices have risen by as much as 50 per cent over a year ago. But while many are happy to take advantage of the price bonanza, others are concerned that any threat to the viability of Unipork could leave them vulnerable in the longer term to the price restrictions of a market dominated by one processor.
