2 Sisters Food Group

Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:58 pm on 25 January 2023.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:58, 25 January 2023

Thank you for the series of points made. I have the same understanding from conversations today that Brexit and the change in trading conditions is a material factor, as is inflation generally, and energy specifically. And, of course, there has been a change to the energy support for businesses, and that the increase in energy overheads is, again, a significant factor.

The point about investment in the site and, comparatively, the facility compared to other sites in the group is a matter for the business. They've made choices around site investment. But, all those points, Brexit, inflation and energy, are all matters where the UK Government have made choices, and they've been very clear, I think, that that's where they see the particular challenge.

You're right, though, that the nature and the way of the communication of the decision leaves a very, very short window. They've indicated that they expect to make a decision, and then if they're going to go ahead with the indication on closure, it would happen by the end of the financial year. That means that after the consultation is over there are literally a handful of weeks before that would happen. So, this is a very, very tightened timescale, and I'm concerned about a range of consequences from that. You're absolutely right; there are over 700 workers, many of whom are very, very local. What that means is that those people of working age don't have work, and the potential for people to stay on the island requires an economic future.

So, yes, I remain seriously interested in the work we will carry on doing to create a sustainable economic future for Anglesey and the immediacy of it. Because some of the things that we will talk about are thing that will happen in a period of years, not weeks. So, there's a challenge about what happens in the interim. So, yes, we will work with anyone and everyone to try to secure the best possible outcome. We want to see if it is possible to save the jobs. If it isn't possible to do that, what are the next-best alternatives? What will be the future of the site? What about the supply chain? These are all matters where there aren't answers now, but I'm more than happy to work with the Member and other elected representatives and the local authority in doing so, and that will mean working with the UK Government. We do need an honest reflection on why we're here and what it will require to try to maintain these jobs or have alternatives in terms of employment in the very near future.