2 Sisters Food Group will close its Haughley Park roast poultry factory after a consultation with staff failed to identify a viable alternative to closure.

The poultry processing giant first proposed the closure of the site, in Suffolk, in August, when it kicked off its consultation.

Yesterday, the group announced production at Haughley Park would cease, and the site would be shut down on Friday, 15 November. 

Haughley Park employs a total of 680 workers, of which 430 are permanent staff. A spokesman for 2 Sisters said the company was looking to redeploy 200 workers at its other East Anglian sites, but 230 permanent staff now face redundancy. The remaining 250 workers are supplied through an agency.

In a statement, 2 Sisters added it had “continually met with colleagues” to try and find alternatives to closure since informing employees of its proposals in August. 

“However, after taking this time to hear and explore all viewpoints and ideas with employees and union representatives, the inescapable truth is that the site is unsustainable and unviable – environmentally, economically and commercially.”

The decision had not been taken lightly and had been made following a detailed manufacturing footprint review, 2 Sisters said, adding it was firmly committed to its operations in East Anglia and had invested tens of millions of pounds into the region since 2005. The company retains East Anglian sites at Eye, Flixton, Witham, Basildon and Thetford.