Factory closure a blow to sector

THE agri-food sector is the bedrock of employment in the Mallow area, but it has been dealt a body blow by the decision to close the town’s Nestlé chocolate crumb factory.

Mallow Development Partnership (MDP), representing economic, social and political interests in Mallow and 13 other communities in the area, made this clear yesterday in a response to last week’s decision.

A total of 57 jobs will be lost when the plant closes next March but the knock-on impact could be greater.