The company confirmed on May 16 that it had begun a 30-day consultation period with the union on the future of the depot and the affected staff.
“We are deeply concerned at the situation and we will examine the business case in detail,” said Usdaw national officer David Johnson. “This is a difficult and worrying time for the staff and we will do all we can to support our members.”
Deliveries to smaller stores shrinking
Müller Wiseman Dairies said it had made the proposal because milk deliveries from the depot to individual smaller stores were shrinking. That was because big customers were managing deliveries to their stores themselves through regional distribution centres.
Some workers could shift to its Bridgwater depot in Somerset should it decide to close the Pensilva facility, Müller Wiseman Dairies said.
The business has underlined its intention to maintain its service to customers in Cornwall and Devon using its dairy and depot infrastructure in the South West of England regardless of the outcome of the consultation. Dairy farmers would be unaffected by any change, it stressed.
Müller Wiseman md Carl Ravenhall said: “We have a very strong network of depots and dairies throughout the country but we must adapt to changes in the market which we serve.
“Many individual stores continue to look to us to supply them with milk every day, but some customers now have the capability to manage distribution themselves using regional distribution centres, and no longer require us to deliver directly to each of their stores.
‘Competitive environment’
“We operate in a very competitive environment and it is right that we properly review the viability of this depot going forward, taking the views and ideas of our employees and their representatives into account over the next month, before arriving at a decision.“
Müller UK & Ireland Group has 19 sites and employs almost 6,000 people across four business units.
Based in Market Drayton, Müller Dairy is the UK’s leading yogurt manufacturer, with major brands such as Müller Corner, Müllerlight and Müller Rice.
In December 2013, Müller Wiseman Dairies formally opened a major butter-making plant in Shropshire, with the capacity to produce up to 45,000t of salted, unsalted and lactic butter each year.