Young’s Seafood to keep Fraserburgh and Grantown-on-Spey sites open

Young’s Seafood recently commenced a formal consultation process with employee representatives on the possibility of closing its Fraserburgh Watermill Road site and its Grantown-on-Spey smokehouse with the loss of up to 900 jobs.

The consultation followed the transfer of a £100million fish processing contract with Sainsbury’s to a Rosyth-based business earlier this year.

After extensive review, consultation with employee representatives and engagement with all interested stakeholders, Young’s Seafood has decided to keep both facilities open. This new plan – the ‘Alternative Option’ plan – was developed during the consultation process and involves retaining around 250 jobs.

Under the ‘Alternative Option’ plan, Young’s Seafood will keep the Spey Valley site at Grantown-on-Spey open retaining the traditional smoking facilities at the site. The Fraserburgh Watermill Road site will stay open with a reduced operation focussed on hot and cold smoked Ready-to-Eat products. Manufacture of other products will gradually transfer to alternative Young’s sites in Scotland and England by May 2016.

Young’s Seafood continues to consult with employee representative on redundancies

Pete Ward, Chief Executive of Young’s Seafood Limited, said, “Following extensive review, consultation with employee representatives and engagement with all interested stakeholders, we are now confirming our Company’s decision to keep open our Fraserburgh Watermill Road and Grantown-on-Spey facilities. This follows the decision by a major customer to transfer some of their business to a Rosyth-based supplier. We recognise the importance of the Fraserburgh and Spey Valley factories to their local communities and we are moving forward with a plan that will retain jobs at both of the sites.”

Young’s Seafood has engaged with politicians, stakeholders and other interested parties during the consultation. The company has said that it will continue to consult with employee representatives on the exact number and phasing of redundancies. The majority of redundancies are likely to take place in early 2016.