Greenvale Animal Feeds, synonymous with the Thurles Sugar Factory site at Cabragh, Thurles, has decided to rationalise production of animal feeds by phasing out current production at their plant, transferring it instead to Dan O’Connor Feeds in Limerick.
Some ten jobs are immediately under threat at this Thurles plant, following this decision by the Nenagh based Arrabawn Co-op to close the facility with effect from August 2013 next.
This decision has been identified as a necessary by Arrabawn to further rationalise the production of their current animal feed product range and thus significantly reduce current overheads.
The Greenvale plant, accredited by the Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS), was originally acquired from Greencore in 2006 and manufactures a wide range of premium feeds for horses, cattle and sheep, under the brands names Gowla, Superthrive and Muesli Concentrates. It is understood that future production of these brands will not be affected by the closure and will continue to be distributed to agri- retail outlets.
The Co-Op have stated that there will be some opportunities for redeployment, as this necessary transfer will create some additional new jobs in Limerick. However the 100 miles return travelling distance, between Thurles and the newly identified Limerick location, is most likely to prove unrealistic, to the present settled workforce.
Anger in Thurles this morning is directed at what most people refer to as ‘Total Political Indifference,’ by present elected government representatives and are calling on Minister Richard Bruton to now declare Thurles Town an unemployment ‘Black Spot’ & a disaster area.
Leave a Reply