350 jobs lost as pork factory closes

Up to 350 jobs are expected to be lost after pork products manufacturer Tulip announced it is set to close its Thetford factory.
Despite heavy investment, Tulip has been unable to boost profits at the site and now plans to move production to other factories around the UK.
Peter Judge, managing director of Tulip’s North East division, said the Thetford factory had been losing money for several years.
“While we have tried very hard to return the factory to profitability, it is an old site and has infrastructure and environmental issues that we can’t overcome,” he said.
Mr Judge said consolidation of Tulip was “critical” if the firm was going to compete as the lowest cost producer in the UK.
Production would be transferred to the company’s other sites in Cornwall, Westerleigh and Tipton in due course, he added.