Modernisation leads to cuts at meat factory

Belcher Foods of Prestwick, which produces sausages, burgers and chicken wings for retail and foodservice customers, is making 19 production staff redundant.

Browns Food, which bought the business in September 2008, said its modernisation programme at the site had created a requirement for fewer employees.

Human resources and training manager Jacqui Meldrum told FoodManufacture.co.uk that all 19 redundancies were compulsory.

She added: “We’ve invested a great deal of money into Belcher Foods to streamline processes and unfortunately we don’t have a need for 19 of the staff. We’ve held off as long as we can.

Support for staff​

“It’s a difficult time for everyone here to go through and we’re trying to support the staff as much as we possibly can – both the ones who are going and also the ones that are staying.”

Staff consultation is ongoing and the workers affected are expected to begin their notice periods this week [beginning Sept 5].

The longest-serving member of staff facing redundancy has been with Belcher for 13 years and will have a 12-week notice period.

Meldrum said the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers [​USDAW} was involved and the company was trying to help staff find work elsewhere. But most lived too far away from other Browns sites to transfer to factories within the group, she added.

Belcher has been in existence for almost 30 years and has the capacity to produce more than 600t of product a week, according to the company.