The poultry processor confirmed that production would be transferred to other sites at the end of this month, affecting 19 employees who will be offered alternative jobs.
Over the past few years the number of employees at the site has plummeted from more than 300 to about 20 following what Unite the union described as a “mass redundancy exercise”.
Unite regional officer Mark Plumb said the union was doing everything it could to make sure Moy Park keeps workers in employment and recognises their “extremely loyal service”.
‘Very, very sad day’
“This is a very, very sad day for Wisbech and those remaining employees who have been so loyal to Moy Park and the site,” Plumb said.
He said the union had worked with Moy Park in a bid to bring in new business and increase the workforce following job losses at the site in 2013.
“Unfortunately, that new work has not come to fruition. It’s a sad day for Wisbech and those people who have stuck by that employer since the large redundancy exercise.”
In 2013 Moy Park announced plans to move 300 jobs to alternative sites as the company repositioned the Wisbech plant as a “cooked sliced meat facility”.
‘Production scaled back’
Plumb said he believed the site initially focused on canned beef, but production was later scaled back to only about 1,000 prepacked meals a week.
A Moy Park spokeswoman told FoodManufacture.co.uk today (January 18):“Small-scale production at Wisbech will be transferring to other company facilities at the end of January.
“The small number of employees affected will all be offered alternative jobs within the company.”
Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s biggest employer and has 14 sites across the UK. Last year the company was sold to Brazilian meat processing giant JBS.