Cappoquin Chickens, the well-known Irish poultry processor from Cappoquin in the western part of Co. Waterford, has been sold to the little known British company Derby Poultry Processors. More than two weeks ago the management of the family-owned local business, which was of great importance for the area, had announced the end of operations and closure of the company, which had run into financial difficulties and accumulated debts of about € 7 million. More than 200 local jobs were lost due to the liquidation.
(for more details see my entry of September 17th)
Throughout the whole summer Cappoquin Chickens had tried to rescue the business, but failed in the end. There were also negotiations with potential buyers in the UK, but they came to no conclusion. So eventually the O'Connor family, who founded Cappoquin Chickens and ran it for nearly 50 years, had no choice but to give up.
Now it emerged that one of the English companies they were in contact with is picking up the remaining pieces of Cappoquin Chickens as a bargain. So the economic neo-colonialism we have seen many times before is raising its head once again.
In a statement Cappoquin Chickens said: "This sale will safeguard the future of the facility. The new structure will require a period of re-organisation, which will result in continued employment for the majority of the existing employees. Cappoquin Poultry Limited will now engage in a period of gradual growth to re-establish market share."
The company also said it intends to source a new hatchery, following the sale of its hatchery in recent weeks.
For the local workers this is good and bad news at the same time. Most of them will get their jobs back (which is the good news), but only under new terms and conditions, which are not as good as what they had been before.
Two of the previous owners, Paul O'Connor and Michael O'Connor Jnr., along with their former financial officer Tom Vaughan, have taken minority stakes in the new company.
The Emerald Islander
3 comments:
Typical. The Brits negotiate with you and get all the details from you. Then they step back and let you go to the wall. After all, you are just a feckin Irish peasant...
And when you're gone, they come out of the woodwork and pick up the best pieces for their collection.
Michael Collins and the men of 1916 must be spinning in their graves...
I am sick to see what a mess we have made of this country. Obviously we're not really capable of running an independent country. You can see it all the time, and everywhere, from the government right down to Cappoquin Chickens.
peashooter is a spastic,,,,, When you do finally decide to leave your little town and travel for a while you will see the world has changed in relation to finances and 1916
Well, peashooter is certainly quite drastic in his comment, but I would not go as far as putting a medical condition onto him.
He is a new blogger, and seems rather an angry Irishman, as we have quite a few others already in the Irish blogosphere.
It seems to me that he follows in the footsteps of the recently retired Twenty Major and some others who express themselves rather colourful.
Personally I prefer a more moderate language.
With regards to a changed world, that is certainly true. Much has changed since 1916, but not all for the better.
Having travelled the world for many years and quite extensively, I know this probably better than most people.
But there are people who have never left Ireland and feel very strongly about our nation. We may not always agree with what they say or how they say it, but I think they have still the right to free speech in a free country.
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