Closure of Pinneys seafood plant in Annan confirmed

Young's has announced that its Annan factory is due to close at the end of the year.

It comes after consultation on the company’s proposals to move production to a site in Grimsby.

Cross-party efforts have continued throughout at local and Parliamentary level to try to save hundreds of jobs.

The company said that it had not been able to find any “viable alternative” to closure which, will take place towards the end of the year.

A spokesperson said: “The decision to close the Pinneys site does not mean that collective consultation has ended

“We intend to continue to meet with employee representatives on a fortnightly basis to discuss ongoing items, including redeployment opportunities.”

The company said one-to-one consultations with staff would now take place.

“Our dedicated, skilled teams at Pinneys are a credit to our company and we will work hard to maintain the employment of our colleagues wherever possible,” added the spokesperson.

“We have a long history of seafood production in Annan and, given that we have another factory in the town where we are a significant employer, we are committed to continuing to play a role in the local community.”

Paul Wheelhouse, Scottish Government Business Minister, who recently convened a public meeting in the town to discuss the situation, said that although the decision was not unexpected, it was still “extremely disappointing.

He also said it would be a “bitter blow” to employees, their families and the wider community.

He continued: “Despite our best efforts and offers of support to encourage Young’s to retain some production at site it recently became clear that Young’s were focused on extracting themselves from the site to concentrate the natural salmon production on Grimsby.

“As such, the Scottish Government and our partners in the Action Group will continue to work tirelessly to identify and support any potential new investor to the site.

“We have held initial discussions with all interested parties and this dialogue will continue over the next few days and weeks in an effort to support more detailed discussions with potential buyers of the site and keep production at the site with the objective of retaining as many jobs as we can in recognition of the economic impact on Annan and the surrounding area.

“In the meantime, our experienced multi-agency Partnership for Action on Continuing Employment (PACE) team are already working hard to support the workforce and we will now accelerate our efforts to find alternative employment opportunities, including the creation of a dedicated jobs fair in the town in the coming weeks.

“I have seen at first-hand the dedication, skill and motivation of the employees at the site and my colleagues and I are determined to do everything I can to help them through this difficult time, and to maintain employment in the town, and sustain the local economy.”