The manufacturer cited significant inflationary pressure on fuel, uncooked fabrics and labor since the COVID-19 pandemic as the main drivers of its proposal, which increased costs and reduced demand for UK-produced turkey in the retail market.
Avara has spent the last six months exploring a number of features to allow its broader business to compete well in the market in the future, adding other potential uses for the Abergavenny site.
However, this procedure knew that volumes can only be processed more successfully in other operations with a lower capital investment, which led to the proposal to close the site.
In a statement, a corporate spokesperson said: “This misleading resolution is not taken lightly and does not reflect on hard-working colleagues. “
“In the coming days, Avara will initiate a collective consultation procedure with those affected through this proposal. The nature of this consultation means that no final decision has been taken and there will be no hypothesis as to how the procedure will end.
The Abergavenny site was acquired as part of Faccenda’s acquisition of turkey processor Cranberry Foods in 2012. Avara was established in 2018 as a joint venture between Cargill’s new poultry business in the UK and Faccenda.
Meanwhile, last week, meat processor Pilgrim’s UK filed to shut down its Ashton-under-Lyne site, 542 jobs with threat of redundancy.
Vice President of Human Resources Rachel said the proposals were “woefully imperative to ensure a sustainable long-term for our team members across the UK. “