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HKFoods has announced plans to close its Paimion Teurastamo Oy slaughterhouse in Paimio, Finland, and transfer operations to an external service provider as part of a wider effort to improve profitability and streamline its business.

From 31 March 2025, Paimio’s cattle and sow slaughtering operations will be taken over by Liha Hietanen Oy in Sastamala, with the Paimio facility shutting down. The move is expected to generate annual savings of around €1 million, with financial benefits beginning in the second quarter of 2025 and continuing into 2026.

The closure affects 21 employees, and HKFoods is working to offer them positions in other parts of the company.

The decision follows a decline in Finland’s cattle population, particularly among dairy farms, which has increased costs and reduced efficiency in beef and pork production.

HKFoods’ CEO, Juha Ruohola, said: “At HKFoods, we want to strengthen the production potential of domestic beef by creating the conditions for continued production in the future. We also aim to improve the efficiency of the pork production chain in terms of sow slaughter."

"With this decision, we are safeguarding the cost-efficiency and competitiveness of our food chain and enabling Finnish food production to remain viable as international competition intensifies. Maintaining domestic food production in our own country is in the interest of all Finns. Our own food production creates food security through security of supply.”