ABP invests £17m to upgrade Scottish meat processing plant

ABP Food Group is set to invest £17 million in its meat processing plant in Perth, Scotland as the company seeks to redevelop and upgrade the site.

ABP’s investment will see the creation of several new factory buildings at the site, the upgrade of the site’s chilled storage area and fund the upgrade of the plant’s meat production facilities.

Up to 80 new jobs will be created as a result of the investment, according to the company.

The investment was supplemented by a £4 million grant from the Scottish government’s Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme, and the Scottish government’s rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing visited the site to announce the grant.

Ewing said: “The Scottish government is doing everything we can to support Scotland’s successful food and drink industry, which has been going from strength-to-strength in recent years.

“Our long-term ambition is to help double that industry’s value to £30 billion in the next 12 years.

“Today’s investment in ABP Perth is part of a longer-term investment programme, which will help to fund major infrastructure projects – creating jobs and driving on the industry in Scotland.

“Scotland’s beef producers will benefit from the availability of processing facilities of the highest quality, and the project itself will be a boon to the local economy for many years to come.”

Tom Kirwan, managing director of ABP’s UK division added: “We look forward to beginning work and transforming Perth into one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the UK.

“The improvements will benefit everyone from our farmer suppliers through to our colleagues and the local economy.

“It will create 80 additional jobs on site and provide significant employment during the construction phase.”