Vion were only ever Carpetbagger's exploiting the pork industry
Scotland's pig producers want to see a positive reaction from the trade and the Scottish government to the phased closure of the Vion plant at Broxburn.
NFU Scotland pigs committee chairman Philip Sleigh said he had expected the plant to close despite all the activity through the 90-day consultation period.
But there are some positives, he said. "A phased closure suggests there will be an outlet for Scottish pigs through Halls from now until Christmas and into the New Year."
Interest in parts of the plant by a few companies means there is hope that elements of the Halls operation might be salvaged for the industry.
"Although this is a blow, I believe we have an industry worth building again. Even during the 90-day consultation period on Halls, Scotland's sow herd will have shrunk with soaring feed prices and a limited improvement in price prompting some to put their herds away. We need to turn that around," said Philip Sleigh.
"The job starts now of finding new processing partners who share our positive vision for the Scottish pig sector and the attitude of retailers to stocking Scottish pig products will be key.
"This week's examination of shop shelves by NFU Scotland shows that there are a number of supermarkets that could significantly increase their commitment to Scottish pork.
"The pigs taskforce that met in July to discuss the ramifications that the closure of Halls might bring must meet again as a matter of priority and I call on Richard Lochhead to reconvene this group to kick-start the process of rebuilding our pig sector."
Jim McLaren, chairman of Quality Meat Scotland, said, "While this is a black day for the Scottish pig industry, it is very important to view today's announcement in a wider context.
"History has repeatedly shown that one of the great strengths of the Scottish pig industry is its farmers' ability to adapt and respond strongly in the face of challenge."
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Source: pig world