Cheese factory set to close

TWENTY workers who make cheese products including Calvita at a factory in Co Cork are to be made redundant after the owners decided to shut the plant, it was announced last night.

Breeo Foods cited poor industrial relations, intense competition and high costs for the decision to shut the processed cheese plant in Mitchelstown.

The closure will happen within weeks, with 20 full-time workers being offered redundancy.

The nearby Dairygold natural cheese plant in Clonmel Road is unaffected by the plans, Breeo Foods said.

“Because of poor production competitiveness, a high cost base, workplace inflexibility and an extremely competitive market with over capacity, it is no longer viable to continue processed cheese production.

“The company’s processed cheese requirement will now be met from an existing contract supplier,” said a company statement last night.

Bosses will now meet staff and union representatives to thrash out a redundancy package, while agreeing that existing work at the factory will be completed before the shut-down.

Breeo Foods decided to axe the plant after a review of its operations concluded the factory did not have a future.

“The risk of closure has been widely speculated on for some months,” the statement said.

Local representatives from the SIPTU trade union were not available for comment last night.