WALES-HALAL MEAT COMPANY TAKE OVER ABATTOIR.
A North-Wales abattoir is to re-open after administrators secured the sale of the facility to Ireland-based Sher Foods for an undisclosed amount.
The sale of the troubled Cig Cibyn abattoir in Caernarfon has been welcomed by local farmers. It brings to an end the uncertainty surrounding the future of one of only two remaining abattoirs in North Wales and will help maintain the competitiveness of the region’s livestock industry.
Joint administrators CLB Coopers and Gwynedd Council said that the new owners of the plant plan to embark on a major overhaul and upgrade to both the buildings and working practices in order to improve productivity and raise standards. The work will take place over the next few weeks with a view to return to full operation as soon as possible.
Councillor Dewi Lewis, who leads on Economy and Regeneration at Gwynedd Council said: "We are very pleased that this important facility will re-open for use in the near future. "As a Council we have worked closely with the administrators to ensure a viable future for the abattoir so that it can serve the area’s food producers, and provide much-needed employment opportunities for local workers.
Mark Getliffe of CLB Coopers added: "We are very pleased to have secured this sale and wish to thank the purchaser and Gwynedd Council for the professional way in which it has been handled. We are continuing with our job of realising assets particularly book debts and are hopeful that we will be paying a dividend to the unsecured creditors before the end of the year."
Sher Foods is run by Arfan Sher Rafique, the son of post-war Pakistani immigrant Sher Mohammad Rafique, who established United Meat Packers (UMP) in the 1970s, which became one of the world’s top traders in lamb and beef.
