Ninety face axe at rural dairy plant

9:38am Friday 29th February 2008

About 90 workers are facing the axe after a dairy processor announced plans to close its distribution facility.

Arla Foods said yesterday(28.02) it will shut the facility at its Sheffield Park site, near Uckfield, in July following consultation with staff.

Brian Salter, operations director for distribution at Arla Foods, said: "We regret the need to announce the proposed closure of the distribution facility at the Sheffield Park site.

"We are advising employees affected by this proposal today and we are also consulting with the employees trade union representatives.

"We intend to give full support to affected staff to help them find alternative employment both within and external to Arla Foods, subject to the consultation process."

The decision is more bad news for the rural economy in that part of East Sussex.

Arla already closed its closed production and processing units at Sheffield Park in July 2006, when about 200 people lost their jobs.

The year before the Merrydown Cider brewery, near Heathfield, and Grampian Foods' chicken factory, at Five Ash Down, Uckfield, also closed their doors.

Merrydown had been brewing in Sussex since 1946 but was down to 35 staff by the time it shut. Grampian closed in January 2005 with 485 jobs lost.

Councillor Simon Kirby, lead member for economic development projects at East Sussex County Council, said: "It's obviously very disappointing to see jobs lost in this way. It is a blow for the rural area and we will have to redouble our efforts to provide new employment opportunities across the county."

Despite this latest piece of bad new, Coun Kirby is optimistic about the region's economic future.

"We have had a lot of interest from companies looking at the planned Queen's Way industrial estate near Hastings. Businesses are also looking to relocate to places like Eastbourne.

"That's not take away from the seriousness of the situation in rural areas and there is no magic wand we can wave for these areas."

Sheffield Park is used by Arla to collect raw milk from surrounding farms before it was taken to its two processing plants at Hatfield Peverel in Essex and Oakthorpe in north London.

Finished milk is then sent back to Sheffield Park to be distributed to retailers.

According to James Mulleneux, policy advisor at the National Farmers Union, streamlining this operation could lead to at least some good news coming from the job losses.

He said: "If the efficiencies are passed on to the factory gate then it could be good news for farmers as they will get more for their milk."

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