MORE JOBS GO AT DAIRYGOLD
There was news of yet another blow to Mitchelstown this week with the announcement that there are to be more job losses at Dairygold. It is understood that up to five more jobs are to go in the grain store at the Clonmel Road facility.
In a statement from Dairygold released to The Avondhu a spokesperson said, “The Dairygold pig and poultry feed mill located at the Clonmel Road in Mitchelstown is to close later this summer with the possible loss of up to five jobs if suitable redeployment opportunities are not available within the Dairygold business.
"The Mitchelstown mill has a high cost of production and is no longer commercially viable. It would require a very significant capital expenditure if it were to continue in production,” the spokesman said, adding that “there is significant over capacity in the Irish pig and poultry feed milling business as many of the smaller producers have exited the business and many of the higher volume customers have switched to home milling.”
“In the meantime Dairygold has entered into a grain and feed processing agreement with Henry Good Ltd of Kinsale whereby Henry Good will dry and store feed grain and contract manufacture pig and poultry feeds for Dairygold. Dairygold will continue to formulate all of the diets, supply the feed ingredients and provide delivery service to its customers,” the spokesperson concluded.
Local TD Ned O’Keeffe was disappointed to hear about the job losses in Mitchelstown, “Every job lost is a blow to Mitchelstown, this is a sign of how bad things are with the agricultural sector at the moment and I am actively seeking new enterprises for the area,” he said.
Deputy Ned O’Keeffe added, “ The loss of the grain store is a legacy of the closure of the Galtee Bacon Factory. There was many a pig farmer in this region that went out of business because of the actions of Jerry Henchy, and it is thanks to his work at Dairygold that we now have another group of workers that are facing the dole.”
Also commenting on the probable job losses, Deputy Sean Sherlock said, “The grain store was the holy grail of the Dairygold operation and its closure signals the death of the food industry in Mitchelstown. How this was allowed to happen is beyond belief. Mitchelstown cannot afford any further job losses.
“We need to follow a new model for the food industry in Mitchelstown and I don’t know how the Government TDs have just been able to sit back and allow this once great company and community to suffer these job losses.”
Another local, who did not wish to be named, told The Avondhu, “ Many of the people in that section of the grain store are near retirement age. It is certainly disappointing but no great surprise.”
Published:
Thursday 27th May 7:20pm
