Muller confirms closure of two Scottish dairies

More than 200 dairy jobs in Scotland were hanging in the balance on Wednesday, after dairy giant Muller announced the closure of two of its facilities there.

The company had announced a consultation on the then-possible closure of its Aberdeen and East Kilbride dairies in April, at the time explaining that they were both operating “well below” full capacity.

Muller’s management confirmed the closures to staff on Tuesday, with Aberdeen’s production line expected to come to a stop for the last time within a fortnight.

Things were somewhat less gloomy at East Kilbride, where operations remain set to continue for up to two years, as lines manufactured there will be progressively transferred to an upgraded Bellshill factory.

Muller said it will endeavour to offer affected employees an opportunity to relocate, though the option would not be available for all 225 involved in the closures.

“We recognise that this change will affect our colleagues at both sites and farmers in the North East but this announcement is a key step towards building a sustainable, diverse and future focused dairy business in Scotland and the UK,” said Muller Milk & Ingredients managing director Andrew McInnes.

“Unfortunately the status quo was not sustainable within our Scottish dairy network, with both Aberdeen and East Kilbride dairies operating well-below capacity.

“By investing in Bellshill we will be better able to optimise the value in the milk we buy from dairy farmers,” he explained.

National officer of the Usdaw union Daniel Adams called the closures a “devastating blow” for “loyal and hardworking staff” at both facilities.

Muller Milk & Ingredients is the former Wiseman Dairies, and supplies almost a third of the UK’s fresh milk.

It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the privately-held German group Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller.