Trouw Nutrition today (Thursday, May 14) confirmed that it intends to close its production plant in Northern Ireland later this year.
The company, which is a division of Nutreco, said it will remain “fully operational” in Ireland despite its plan to close its Belfast production plant on Ship Street on September 30.
The closure will lead to the loss of 29 jobs within Trouw Nutrition Ireland, mainly in production.
However the company emphasised today that its commercial, sales, technical support and customer relationship teams will continue to “operate as normal” from its office in Belfast’s Clarendon Dock.
Trouw Nutrition’s core business is feed specialties, premixes and nutritional services for the animal nutrition industry.
Trouw Nutrition
Commenting on its plans for its Belfast production plant, Pieter Bastiaanssen, managing director Trouw Nutrition Europe and Central Asia, said today: “We fully recognise the impact this decision has on our colleagues, and we regret the disruption it brings.
“However, it is a necessary step to address long‑standing structural challenges and ensure our production set‑up can meet increasingly demanding quality, traceability and compliance requirements in the future.
“Our commitment to this very important market remains firm. We are making targeted investments to enable a gradual, well‑controlled transition that strengthens the resilience and reliability of how we serve our customers across the island of Ireland.”
Trouw Nutrition said it intends to “reinforce” its customer service in Ireland and is planning/logistics teams with new hires to “further enhance service delivery”.
It has also outlined that its focus during the closure period of its Belfast plant “is on maintaining the consistent supply, service quality and proximity expected from a trusted partner”.
“Going forward, product supply will be delivered through Trouw Nutrition’s European network, including our purpose-built sites in GB and the Netherlands.
“At a local level this will be further supplemented through an expanded supply agreement with our long-term partner, Newtownards-based North Down Grain (NDG),” Trouw Nutrition detailed.
Trouw Nutrition, whose parent company is headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, has 71 manufacturing plants and a presence in 105 countries.