Manager goes as creamery axes 11 staff
Last updated 19:24, Thursday, 20 November 2008
ASPATRIA creamery’s general manager was among its 11 staff made redundant when the factory recently cut its cheese production.
Tony McLoughlin had been in charge for six months when he was forced to accept redundancy as part of cost savings by factory owners First Milk.
The Lake District Creamery has gone from a 24-hour operation to closing at weekends.
It follows a milk shortage which made its cheapest cheeses unprofitable.
An estimated 10 per cent of Cumbrian dairy farmers have quit over the last two years and milk supplies are at their lowest for 35 years.
The site’s cheese manufacturing has been restructured and manager of First Milk’s Haverfordwest plant in Wales, Paul Rowe, is now in overall charge.
A spokesman said: “In these challenging economic circumstances it is critical that we have a tight organisation structure that provides clear lines of responsibility and aids quick decision making.”
Three of the redundancies made at the start of this month were voluntary, from the production, management and admin departments.
First Milk will focus Aspatria’s production on premium products like its Lake District cheese brand.
There are no plans for further cuts in Aspatria, and the factory still employs 83 staff.
