Country’s last sugar beet processing plant to close
The closure of the country’s last sugar-beet processing factory was announced this afternoon, effectively spelling the end of the sugar-beet industry in the country.
Greencore has just announced that its plant in Mallow, Co Cork will close in May.
The company said the decision was made inevitable following an EU decision to cut off subsidies to the industry last November.
Local IFA representitive David O'Brien said that growers were not expecting the decision to happen until next year.
“We desperately needed another year to give us a chance to make some plans as to what we could do without sugar beet,” he said.
“It’s the suddenness of this, and not having time.
“We're in the middle of a sewing season - we were hoping we'd have a beet crop for another year.
“It’s a disaster for every beet grower in the south of Ireland.”
