‘A lot of worry and anger’ throughout chicken factory

FOR the past 20 years Maura Roche has drawn a wage from Cappoquin Chickens, one of the main employers in the region, while her husband Pat has been there for 10 years.

The closure of the company, which directly employs about 250 full-time and part-time staff, as well providing a livelihood for dozens of growers, breeders, suppliers and others, would wipe out two incomes from the Roche household at a time when jobs are scarce on the ground.

“Gutted, disappointed,” were Maura’s initial reactions when news spread throughout the weekend of the company going into liquidation — officially confirmed to staff yesterday.

“We’re very worried about the future, but we’re not the only ones.

“There are young couples in there with children who have mortgages to pay. What are they going to do?”

She said there was “a lot of worry and anger” throughout the factory yesterday, but stressed that the workers were “100% willing to work with the receiver” in an attempt to get the plant out of its present crisis.

“This is going on for years and years, but it got serious when the receiver came in. Now this is another turn for the worse.”

Eleven kilometres down the road in Aglish, the Keogh family have been growing chickens for more than 40 years for the Cappoquin company.

First Paddy and Kay — “2,000 in the first year”, recalls Kay — and now their son, Shane, who has capacity for 180,000 chickens in two large, recently modernised houses.

Presently looking after 110,000 chickens, Shane is expecting another consignment of young birds before the end of the week.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen to them. If the factory goes and we can’t find another processor to take them, I’m in deep water.”

It’s estimated that at least 25 growers currently depend on Cappoquin Chickens, as well as eight or nine breeders and three or four rearers, along with the 250 staff of the factory itself.