Hall’s history: From haggis to black pudding, hungry Scots have savoured firm’s products for 70 years

Hall’s is one of the best-known names in Scottish food and drink alongside brands such as Barr’s and Tunnock’s.

It has a reputation built up over 70 years for what its website describes as “good, honest, traditional” food.

The firm was established in 1932 and uses traditional Scottish recipes to make a range of products, including haggis, sausages, lorne sausages, black pudding and breakfast packs.

The company claims to have the best-selling haggis in the world. It was taken over by Dutch firm Vion in 2008 from Grampian Country Food Group.

The future looked good for the plant when it was announced by First Minister Alex Salmond just last September that 250 new jobs were being created at the firm, including up to 100 modern apprentices.

Funding of £1.495 million had been secured from Scottish Enterprise to secure this and up to £500,000 from Skills Development Scotland had also been granted towards the project. The firm confirmed yesterday it will not be using any of the money made available.

A new training “centre of excellence” was also being created, although Mr Salmond acknowledged at the time that the West Lothian site was “up against competition from elsewhere”.

Ton Christiaanse, Vion UK chief executive, said at the time: “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.”

The firm had suffered a blow in August last year when it was fined £100,000 after a worker was run over and killed by a forklift truck at the site.

George Hardie, 60, died at the meat factory in 2009 after being hit by a badly loaded forklift truck.