Milk Processing Plant Faces Uncertain Future
Unions have expressed disappointment after a dairy group announced it was consulting on the future of a milk processing operation in South East Cornwall.
Robert Wiseman Dairies yesterday drew together its 133 staff at the plant in Pensilva, near Liskeard, to announce the news.
The company said that the facility required millions of pounds’ worth of investment, which was “prohibitively high.”
However, the Glasgow-based firm said that even if the milk production facility were to close, distribution operations would continue and therefore secure 77 of the jobs at the plant in the remote location.
Nigel Barber, area organiser for the union USDAW, confirmed that it had been consulted about the future of its members at the site.
He said: “It is disappointing. It is not a situation we would have wanted but together with the company we will try and do the best we can and cushion the blow as well as we can.”
Mr Barber said some staff might be able to transfer to the Robert Wiseman milk production plant at Okehampton 32 miles away. The firm has also built a state-of-the-art dairy at Bridgwater in Somerset and jobs may be available there.
“There is the possibility of a transfer, but the problem is that some people may not want to move,” he said.
Martyn Mulcahy, group operations director at Robert Wiseman Dairies, said the decision to begin the statutory 30-day consultation period at Pensilva had been taken with great regret.
“Milk from Cornish farms remains an important part of our offering, and these proposed changes would go a long way towards securing a competitive future for products from farms in the area,” he said.
“We have to address the reality, which is that the cost of processing milk and the investment required at the site at Pensilva is prohibitively high in comparison to our other dairies in the UK.
“We have little option other than to review the viability of the site going forward.”
“The wider context is that we have facilities at Okehampton and we are also investing in creating up to 500 jobs at our facility at Bridgwater.”
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