A FOOD firm with a factory in Abergavenny has announced plans to close the site later this year - with around 400 jobs expected to be lost.

Avara Foods have today announced their proposal to shut the Abergavenny factory in autumn 2023.

This would impact all of the 400 employees working at the site.

Since the Covid pandemic, Avara say they have faced "significant inflationary pressure in fuel, commodities and labour".

This, they said has driven up pricing and significantly reduced demand for UK-produced turkey in the retail market.

"To maintain a competitive customer offer, Avara has started to reengineer its turkey business to operate a more efficient operational footprint focused on fewer, better invested facilities," Avara said in a statement released a short time ago.

"Over the past six months the company has looked in depth at a range of options to enable its wider business to compete effectively in the market in the future.

"These included different potential uses for the Abergavenny site.

"Regretfully, this process identified that volumes could be processed more efficiently in other operations and with lower capital investment. This has resulted in the proposal to close the Abergavenny site."

Avara said the decision had been a "difficult" one, which had "not been taken lightly and in no way reflects on the hard-working colleagues".

In the coming days Avara says it will begin a collective consultation process with employees affected by this proposal.

The nature of this consultation means that no final decisions have been made.

Who are Avara Foods?

South Wales Argus: Avara factory in Abergavenny to close

Avara is one of the UK’s largest food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the nation’s supermarkets and restaurant chains.

Established in 2018 as a 50/50 joint venture between Cargill and Faccenda, the company operates a fully integrated supply chain across agriculture, processing and distribution, with approximately 7,000 staff.

The Abergavenny facility was part of the acquisition of turkey processor Cranberry Foods by Faccenda, in 2012. 

It is a ‘cut and pack’ operation, predominantly preparing a range of fresh turkey products, alongside some chicken lines, for retail customers, and is staffed by around 400 employees.