Hundreds of jobs under threat as food group reveals plans to close factories

Food group, 2 Sisters has placed 900 jobs under threat by revealing plans to close down chicken processing operations in the West Midlands and Scotland.

The West Midlands-based business, which was the centre of a major undercover investigation last year, is reportedly planning to close existing operations in Wolverhampton and Smethwick, placing 450 jobs in doubt.

A similar number are under threat with plans also revealed to close down the company’s loss-making operation in Cambuslang.

2 Sisters, owned by entrepreneur Ranjit Boparan, has said the proposals are part of a plan to modernise the business by making it more efficient.

Potentially, the job losses could be offset under plans also announced by the business to create up to 1,000 new jobs within the poultry supply chain across the UK.

Expansion is planned in West Bromwich (400 jobs), Willand in Devon (300), Coupar Angus in Perth and Kinross (250), Llangefni in Anglesey (35) and Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire (30).

In the West Midlands, it is understood workers from the affected plants could be offered the chance of jobs in West Bromwich.

At Cambuslang, where the 55-year-old plant is said to be no longer capable of meeting modern hygiene standards, the plan would be to close the operation in the summer with staff being offered the chance to move to other parts of the business elsewhere in Scotland.

Union leaders at Unite have said they will work with the business to try and minimise any job losses.

Last year 2 Sisters came under fire from MPs during a parliamentary inquiry into food standards commissioned after the business was the focus of a joint investigation by The Guardian newspaper and ITV.

The investigation uncovered poor hygiene operations at the 2 Sisters’ chicken processing plant in West Bromwich.

It also emerged that shortly before Christmas, 2 Sisters had sent unsolicited boxes of biscuits to several MPs serving on environment, food and rural affairs committee.

MP Neil Parish, the Conservative chair of the committee, said the recipients had considered the gesture inappropriate and an attempt to influence the committee’s impartiality.

He said the biscuits had been donated to charity or returned to 2 Sisters.

2 Sisters said the donations had been sent out to external stakeholders as a goodwill gesture.

The committee is planning to hold further inquiries into the food group later this year.