Bangers and cash add up to 250 jobs for Royal meat firm

A BOOM in demand for cheaper meat products has been credited with the creation of 250 new jobs at a food manufacturing plant which has the Royal seal of approval.

Growing numbers of people switching from lamb and beef products to pork and chicken to save money is thought to be behind the major expansion of the Hall’s of Broxburn plant, in West Lothian.

Vion, the Dutch firm which took over the plant as part of a buyout of Grampian Country Foods three years ago, is planning to create a new training centre at the site, with up to 100 modern apprenticeships planned.

The firm has been given £2 million in public funding – £1.5m from Scottish Enterprise and £500,000 from Skills Development Scotland – to help pay for the new “centre of excellence”.

Hall’s of Broxburn, which was itself taken over by Grampian in 1998, dates back to 1932, when it started life as a butcher’s shop in Corstorphine, Edinburgh, run by founder David Hall. Its best-known products are its link and lorne sausages, haggis and black puddings.

Hall’s, which was awarded a Royal Warrant as official suppliers of meat to the Queen in 1994, is thought to produce some 80 million sausages a year.

Vion has four major plants across Scotland, at Broxburn, Cambuslang in Glasgow, Portlethen in Aberdeenshire, and Coupar Angus, as well as some 100 pig farms around the country.

The firm’s UK chief executive Ton Christiaanse said: “People are at the heart of our business and this announcement underlines our commitment to the development of our skills base.

“This investment not only demonstrates our confidence in the Hall’s site but also in the Scottish pig farming sector, who are key partner suppliers to our business.”

Although up-to-date figures were not available yesterday, a spokesman for Vion said the company had seen growing evidence of consumers shifting to cheaper products in supermarkets as they adjust their buying patterns to reflect the economic downturn.

A host of new product lines is expected to be rolled out over the next few months to cater for demand.

First Minister Alex Salmond, who announced the jobs boost in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, said it would also safeguard the future of some 1,000 staff who work at the plant. Recruitment for the new workers is already under way.

Mr Salmond added: “Vion’s investment in their new training centre is a major vote of confidence in the Scottish workforce and Scotland’s economic future.”

Flora McLean, director of the Scottish Food and Drink Federation, said: “This announcement shows that the industry continues to deliver growth.”