End of line for factory

hopes of an eleventh hour reprieve for the chicken factory at Thorne in Doncaster, have been dashed.

The Vion Food UK processing plant in Coulman Street will close at the end of next week with the loss of 170 jobs, management confirmed yesterday.

There had been hopes that a campaign by Don Valley MP Caroline Flint might have resulted in a last-minute buyer being found for the plant but it did not materialise.

Yesterday Rob Smith, Vion’s UK communications director said: “We have looked at all options as part of the full consultation process but regrettably there is no viable alternative.

“No offer has been received for the Thorne factory.”

The last day of operations will be Friday, August 5, with only a small team remaining to manage the closure process, said Mr Smith.

One member of staff told The Star they had not been kept informed of what was happening and there had been little direct communication from the firm.

The worker said: “The company is more concerned about the chickens’ welfare than that of the employees.”

The Dutch firm is moving its poultry processing to plants in Wales and Scotland.