Vion announced today its intention to sell its Apeldoorn site to a third party. If the sale process is successfully completed, the activities of the pig slaughterhouse in Apeldoorn will be transferred to other Vion production sites in the Netherlands. With this step, Vion aims to better align its available production capacity with the declining size of the Dutch pig herd.
Adjusting capacity to declining volumes
The Dutch pig farming sector continues to contract. As a result of government measures, among other factors, the number of pigs in the Netherlands is declining. Consequently, the available volumes are decreasing and Vion has more production capacity than necessary.
To make optimal use of the available volumes and organise its Dutch operations in a future-proof manner, Vion intends to transfer the production activities in Apeldoorn to other Vion sites in the Netherlands and to sell the site itself. This will retain an important part of the current processing capacity within Vion’s Dutch production network and safeguard continuity for suppliers and customers. This step will result solely in a redistribution of the current production volumes.
If the sale process for the Apeldoorn site proceeds smoothly, the relocation of the production activities is expected to be completed before the end of this year.
Supporting employees through the transition
The decision affects around 300 employees at the Apeldoorn site. Vion is looking carefully at opportunities for employees to move to other Vion locations, including Boxtel, Groenlo and Scherpenzeel.
Over the past period, Vion has already been gradually adjusting staffing levels in response to declining volumes. This has included natural attrition, retirements, not renewing temporary contracts and reducing the use of external workers. Based on current expectations, Vion believes that there will be opportunities for a large number of employees to continue their career within the company.
Individual discussions will be held with the employees concerned to explore the available options. In addition, a social plan will be developed in consultation with the trade unions.
Vion recognises that this decision will have a significant impact on the employees concerned. The company will therefore manage the next steps with the utmost care and actively support employees throughout the process.