Prairie Farms Dairy closes two US plants

Prairie Farms Dairy is shutting 2 food manufacturing sites successful Shullsburg, Wisconsin, resulting successful the nonaccomplishment of astir 100 jobs.

According to WARN notices filed by the company, accumulation is ceasing astatine its Shullsburg Creamery and White Hill Cheese facility.

In abstracted notices sent to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and the politician of Shullsburg, Prairie Farms said it is "permanently ending operations and laying disconnected each employees" astatine the 2 facilities.

At Shullsburg Creamery, the institution said the closure affects the full installation and accumulation unit but the retail Cheese Store volition stay unaffected.

The WARN filing shows 43 roles volition beryllium mislaid astatine the site, spanning packaging, accumulation and food operations.

Prairie Farms said astir employees were to beryllium laid disconnected immediately, portion definite maintenance, warehouse and supervisory staff, on with 9 employees retained to upwind down the plant, would permission connected an undetermined day depending connected operational needs.

Anton Pederson, a Danish immigrant, founded the Shullsburg Creamery successful 1934 and Prairie Farms acquired it successful 2020.

At White Hill Cheese, the closure affects 54 employees crossed functions including production, packaging and maintenance.

Most workers are owed to permission successful mid-August, with 12 employees to stay temporarily for shutdown activities.

The employees astatine Shullsburg Creamery and White Hill Cheese are not members of immoderate national and "therefore the contented of bumping rights is not applicable", Prairie Farms said successful its notices.

Bumping rights are provisions, typically tied to seniority rules successful a national declaration oregon leader policy, that let laid-off workers to displace different employees alternatively of losing their jobs outright.

Prairie Farms had not responded to Just Food's petition for remark connected the reasons for the closures astatine the clip of writing.

Based successful Edwardsville, Illinois, Prairie Farms is supported by a web of implicit 500 farming families and astir 7,000 employees.

According to its LinkedIn page, the institution manages 48 accumulation plants alongside much than 100 organisation hubs, generating upwards of $4.6bn successful gross each year.

In June, the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative successful the US revealed plans to adjacent its St. Albans installation successful the authorities of Vermont. The St. Albans Creamery is owed to shutter its doors connected 17 August, affecting astir 80 workers.

And successful May, Danone said it would unopen its dairy-alternatives mill successful Bridgeton, New Jersey, successful August with the nonaccomplishment of 114 jobs.

"Prairie Farms Dairy closes 2 US plants" was primitively created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand.