Dozens of jobs lost at Moray jerky factory as production moves to England

Dozens of jobs are to be lost at a factory in Moray that produces jerky and biltong as production is moved to an existing site in England.

The New World Foods site in Greshop Industrial Estate in Forres is to close on April 30, causing the loss of around 36 jobs.

The company have multiple sites across the UK, including in York, and produces a range of products, including jerky and biltong.

The factory’s owner, Valeo Foods UK, cited a number of “logistical challenges” presented by the site’s location.

Production will be moved to the another site from Forres when it closes.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Forres presents significant logistical challenges due to its remote location.

“These challenges have made it increasingly difficult to maintain cost efficiencies, which are crucial in today’s competitive market.

“The York site has the immediate capacity to handle current production volumes, and it is well-positioned to support both our short- and medium-term growth objectives.

“The strategic review considered many different options from a capacity, cost and cash perspective.

“We assessed the capacity and demand for different products; the projected investment required across all sites, along with identifying operational improvement opportunities.

“As a result, the proposal was to cease operations at our meat snacks production facility in Forres, and transfer production to sister Valeo sites within the Meat Snacks Division.

“We conducted a collective consultation with all employees at the Forres site and no alternative solutions were found to mitigate this proposal.”

CEO of Valeo Foods UK, Kevin Moore, added: “This closure is in no way a reflection on the dedicated efforts of the Forres team who have shown great commitment to improve the performance of the site in recent years”.