Ireland's largest co-operative, Dairygold, is to cut 270 jobs at its plants in Cork and Tipperary, it was announced this evening.
The company will close its pig slaughtering plant in Mitchelstown, Cork with the loss of 170 jobs.
The pig processing factory in Roscrea, Tipperary, which was acquired in 2001, will also close with the loss of 100 jobs.
The decision was announced after the meeting of Dairygold's general committee in Springford Hall near Mallow, Cork.
Dairygold Chief Executive, Mr Jerry Henchy told the inaugural meeting of Dairygold's 60 member committee that the move to end Dairygold's involvement in primary processing was aimed at safeguarding the survival of the remaining 585 jobs in its consumer foods divisions which would
prepare and package bought in pigmeat as well as continue to produce dairy and cheese products.
Confirmation of the loss of the jobs was described as a "devastating blow" to both communities, by SIPTU General Secretary Mr Joe O'Flynn.
"Neither location can afford redundancies on such a large scale, especially when there are no alternative industries for workers to move to," he said adding that it was "essential" the Tánaiste gave priority to the search for replacement industries in the area.
The Green Party's finance spokesman Mr Dan Boyle said the impact of the closures on Mitchelstown, "whose economy is almost entirely based on Dairygold", was most worrying.
"In recent years the town has been subjected to a series of job loss announcements by Dairygold that can now only be seen as death by a thousand cuts," he said.
