Beef

Dunbia is investing £7.5m in a processing plant in Wales

Dunbia is to invest £7.5m in a new beef processing and packing facility in Wales.

Situated at Felinfach, near Lampeter, it will be operational by February 2014 and help to service a major contract with Sainsbury’s.

Dunbia had previously used the site as an interim lamb processing facility pending the completion of a £12m redevelopment at its Llanybydder plant between 2011 and 2013.

The new development at Felinfach will be part-funded by a £1.8m grant from the Welsh Assembly Government.

Dunbia was already a significant employer in rural Wales and a major player in the red meat sector, which was worth £595m to the Welsh economy in 2012, said Edwina Hart, economy minister at the Welsh Assembly Government.

“This investment supports Welsh Government policies and initiatives to increase added value processing of agricultural produce in Wales to ensure the benefits are retained in Wales and help create jobs and spread prosperity.”

The facility is expected to create 200 jobs and Dunbia will commence recruitment for the roles shortly.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for Dunbia and we are looking forward to building a talented and enthusiastic team at Felinfach that will share our passion for growth and our focus on quality, value and success for our customers,” added Jonathan Young, Dunbia’s group HR director.

Dunbia struck a major supply with Sainsbury’s earlier this year, ending processor ABP’s sole supplier status with the retailer.

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