Coughlan: Keeping Cadbury jobs will be difficult

The Tánaiste has said it is going to be a "difficult task" to keep all of the current Cadbury business in Ireland.

The group, which has been taken over by the US giant Kraft, currently employs over 1,200 people at plants in Dublin and Kerry.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan told the Dáil that she has requested a meeting with the Kraft chief executive and will give every support possible to the Irish operations who have to put together a new business plan.

But she admitted the Government will have a fight on their hands to maintain the jobs.

"I have been advised that this will be a difficult task, as you can appreciate, in the context of over-production and over-supply that will happen arising from the takeover.

"That said, we will be putting our best foot forward and will be giving the necessary support to the workers and to the company here in this country."