Town demands investment priority after sugar industry demise

COMMUNITY representatives from Mallow yesterday urged the Government to put the area on a priority list for foreign investment following the announcement of the town’s sugar plant closure.

The demand was made as Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan announced an expert group charged with recommending the breakdown of EU compensation to competing interests including beet growers, workers and Greencore itself.

In a Dáil meeting with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin and Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan, 16 community representatives highlighted the plight of Mallow, which has now lost 700 jobs in quick succession.