There was excellent news for both employment prospects in Brechin and the Scottish pig industry, with Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announcing £2.7 million grant aid for a major upgrade and expansion of the AP Jess plant.
The project should create 20 new full-time jobs and safeguard another 42 posts.
The development of the Brechin abattoir has been particularly important to the Scottish pig industry in the wake of the closure of the Halls of Broxburn plant just over a year ago.
Once the planned investments have been completed, the Brechin plant will be able to handle 7,500 pigs a week.
This is double the present throughput and will account for 75% of the Scottish kill.
It will also mean a dramatic reduction in pigs having to be hauled south of the border for slaughter.
Mr Lochhead, speaking at the NFU Scotland annual meeting in St Andrews, said: “Scottish farms produce around £81 million of pig meat a year for processing, and the closure of Halls of Broxburn was a severe blow to our pig industry.
“This award to AP Jess in Brechin is a major investment in the infrastructure supporting Scotland’s pig sector, and will go a long way in rebuilding capacity in the supply chain.
“As well as creating and safeguarding jobs in Brechin, the Scottish Government is actively supporting pig farming and the Specially Selected Pork brand.
“A new chapter beckons for our pig industry.
“I am confident this investment will, in time, increase the size of the Scottish pig herd and the volume of Scottish Selected Pork going into the marketplace.”
All the pork processed at the Brechin plant will be purchased by Tulip Ltd, the UK’s largest pork producer and processor, with 17 fresh and cooked meat sites, employing more than 8,000 people.
Allan Jess, managing director of AP Jess Brechin Ltd, thanking the Scottish Government for its support, said his company’s relationship with Tulip had developed over the last three years, and the project would make the plant one of the most modern in Europe.
Gordon McKen, the managing director of supply co-op Scottish Pig Producers Ltd, added: “This is excellent news for the Scottish pig industry.
“The Brechin site is ideally placed in our main pig-producing area, and the planned upgrade will give producers confidence to invest allowing us to grow the industry.
“It is also extremely important for Scottish consumers as the Scottish SPCA label, displayed on the Specially Selected Pork brand, is in increasing demand.”