Staff Return To Work At Abattoir
GWYNEDD - Shifts have restarted at a Gwynedd abattoir, two weeks after 47 workers were laid off with the firm blaming the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey.Around 70% of the lamb handled at Cig Cibyn is exported |
Cig Cibyn abattoir in Caernarfon had said operations would be suspended until a meat export ban was lifted.
The ban on exporting UK meat and animal products ended on Saturday.
It is not known if all the abattoir staff have returned. Gwynedd Council has been in talks about short-term aid to enable the plant to reopen.
Around 70% of the lamb handled at the Cig Cibyn plant is exported.
Earlier, Gwynfor Roberts, co-director of the company, had said he believed the abattoir would be able to trade this week and had said his target date was Tuesday.
He had said he hoped all the workforce would be re-employed, saying: "To be honest, we need to have a full workforce or none of them. There's no happy medium."
On 16 August, directors said that they had been left with no choice but to lay off staff following the export ban imposed after two foot-and-mouth cases were confirmed in Surrey.