Cathaoirleach calls to save Cappoquin Chickens
The Regional Authority’s Cathaoirleach said that the closure and job losses would have a severe impact on Waterford which has not yet come to terms with the recent redundancies at the Waterford Crystal plant at Kilbarry, Waterford where 490 jobs were lost and the recent announcement that up to a hundred workers at the Honeywell Turbo Technologies factory on Waterford’s Industrial Park are to lose their jobs before year end.
“The Plant at Cappoquin generates up to €20 million per annum and the threatened closure would be a total catastrophe for the region. Supermarkets and other commercial purchasers of poultry must buy Irish produce” said Cllr. Fitzgerald and he called on the Government to step in to allow time to save the plant. “The South-East Region’s employment situation is worsening with the most recent unemployment rate standing at 5.8%, above the national rate of 5.2%”, stated Cllr. Fitzgerald. “This region is not getting the attention it deserves from government and the industrial development agencies and I am calling for the South-East to be prioritised for urgent investment and job creation”, he said.
The Regional Authority has been to the forefront in identifying and articulating the deficiencies, development needs and investment priorities of the region. The Authority has for a long time held the view that there is a widespread misconception that the South-East Region is a wealthy region that is performing well, but a range of socio-economic indicators paint a very different picture. The Authority has been working with the various public and private sector bodies in the region to develop and implement strategies, to address socio-economic difficulties of the region.
Cllr. Fitzgerald commented that “the government must fulfill a key objective of the National Development Plan to deliver balanced regional development and in doing so to ensure that the South-East receives its fair share of national investment”, he said. He added that all the enterprise promotion and support agencies should be instructed by government to make the South-East Region their priority.
Further information from:
- Cllr. Michael Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach, South-East Regional Authority - 062-72136 or 087-2292126
- Mr. Thomas Byrne, Director, South-East Regional Authority (052) 26200
Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:00:57 IST
