Mowi jobs cull hits Irish processing plant

Salmon producer Mowi is to cut an unspecified number of jobs at its secondary processing plant in County Donegal, Ireland.

The company said it has been talking to staff at the facility, which is sited on a peninsula in the far north of the country.

Mowi has been carrying out a streamlining review of jobs across its global set-up, announcing earlier this year that around 430 jobs were likely to go worldwide.

Despite record profits last year, the company is understood to want a 12% reduction in its workforce world-wide, saving around £20m to help combat soaring cost inflation.

This is expected to be carried out by streamlining the business, introducing more automation and renegotiating contracts with suppliers.

A company spokesman told the Irish press: “It is with great regret that Mowi Ireland has begun a programme of consultation with staff regarding a reduction in employment numbers.

“Following a global review, a decision has been reached to streamline a number of processing plants which are under capacity.

“This will result in secondary fish processing ceasing in Ireland by October 2023 leading to a number of redundancies at the company’s Rinmore base in Fanad, Donegal.”

A consultation process has commenced with a view towards redeploying staff elsewhere within the company in Donegal.

“The consultation exercise will be used to establish if staff, who currently work in secondary production, can be deployed elsewhere within the company’s Donegal headquarters.”

Mowi said it could not put a figure on the number of jobs likely to go until the consultation process has been completed.