Staff at the Kerry fish processor Kenmare Select have been told the company is to close with the loss of 21 jobs.

A statement is expected later in the week.

It is understood staff were informed of the impending closure at a meeting on Wednesday morning. The decision is believed to be due to difficult trading conditions.

Kenmare Select has been a major employer in the Co Kerry town for more than 20 years.

According to its website, it was started by the award-winning French chef Rémy Benoit in 1991. Mr Benoit established a restaurant in Kenmare in 1982, where he developed the smoked salmon that formed the basis of Kenmare Select.

The company used what it described as a “traditional” approach to producing its products, including filleting by hand.