The Scottish government is to fund a poultry producers’ group to help farmers affected by 2 Sisters’ decision to cut production north of the border.
Last week, 2 Sisters announced it was selling its Letham site in Angus and cutting production at its Coupar Angus site in Perth & Kinross.
Scottish government rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead met with 2 Sisters poultry farmers yesterday who have been have been told their contracts would effectively be cancelled from early next year.
“These are businesses who have been encouraged one minute to invest millions of pounds upgrading their facilities, and the next minute are facing an uncertain future with no buyer for their chickens,” he said in a statement.
The producers’ group will explore other opportunities for affected farmers to supply chicken to the market.
In addition to the producers’ group, the Scottish government said it was setting up a working group comprising itself, Scottish Enterprise, the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland and poultry producers, to examine the future of the poultry industry in Scotland.
“We have a situation in Scotland where there’s enough demand in Scotland for chicken to keep these producers in business. Consumers want to buy Scottish chicken and a number of retailers are committed to stocking it,” Lochhead said.
One week on from its announcement, 2 Sisters said it was “far too early” to make assumptions about the full and long-term impact on Scottish poultry producers as its discussions were ongoing.
“The facts are that we need to get out production facilities in Scotland lean, efficient and fit for the future. Only with stronger foundations can we then look towards building Scottish sales,” said a spokesman.
2 Sisters looked forward to working with the Scottish Government in the coming weeks to deliver the best possible outcomes for all concerned, he added.
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