Largo Foods to close Gweedore plant with loss of 140 jobs
A food factory in the Republic of Ireland is set to close with the loss of 140 jobs.
Employees at the Largo Foods plant in Gweedore, County Donegal, were told on Friday afternoon that the factory will be shut down.
The company, a leading manufacturer and distributor of snack foods, plans to move production to an existing plant in Ashbourne, County Meath.
It is understood 70 full-time staff will be offered roles in Ashbourne.
Maurice Hickey, chief executive of Largo Foods, said the high price of production in County Donegal led to the move.
He added that he hoped employees in Gweedore, an Irish speaking area of the Republic, would take up positions in Ashbourne.
Údarás na Gaeltachta, the state agency in charge of economic and social development in Irish speaking areas, said it was very disappointed by the news.
A spokesperson said: "We very much regret the implication that this proposal will have for Largo Foods' employees in Gweedore.
"An tÚdarás will prioritise its efforts to put in place a strategic marketing drive in a bid to attract new investment and employment opportunities to Gaoth Dobhair Business Park."
Largo Foods currently employs 360 people in Ashbourne and also has a production facility in Barnsley, England.