newsTop stories JOBS FEAR AT FEED GIANT
Unite has demanded clarity about potential redundancies affecting over 500 workers after animal feed producer ABN lost a major supply contract, writes Keith Hatch.
Employees at five sites in Yorkshire, Devon, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, and Cumbria, which includes mill operatives, drivers, and engineers, are facing an uncertain future, as many of the sites are in rural areas, with limited employment opportunities.
In April 2025, ABN was informed that they had lost a large contract to supply feed to 2 Ag, formerly 2 Sisters, who chose to have the feed produced by their own mills. The TUPE regulations did not apply, so no workers transferred to 2 Ag.
Despite members hearing rumours about potential implications the company did not inform the union until several months later, only becoming aware of the scale of the issue toward the end of 2025, leaving workers facing prolonged uncertainty.
Although the ABN website says the firm is, “Proud to be supporting British agriculture” and “united by our family values that represent who we are, how we work together and how we help our customers”, doesn’t seem to extend to how it treats its workforce.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticised the company’s handling of the situation, saying, “ABN is treating its workers with contempt. Dedicated workers should not be treated in this manner. ABN must come clean and tell workers what the future holds.”
Unite has had meetings with the company several times but still has no clarity on the timescale for changes, leaving members with no idea what the future holds for them.
Unite national officer Adrian Jones said, “ABN is not a small company – it is part of Associated British Foods that also owns Primark. A firm of this size should be able to do the right thing for its workforce and have the
decency to be transparent about their futures.
“Unite is demanding ABN sets clear deadlines for decisions to be made and to support our members properly. We believe that the company doesn't want to pay for redundancies; they are holding onto workers so they will go to another company and be their problem. Unite will not stand for such behaviour.”
Industry journal Milling and Grain said the dispute at ABN, “reflects wider shifts within the feed and livestock supply chain, as integrated producers increasingly move towards in-house feed manufacturing.
“Such changes can have significant implications for independent feed mills, particularly those reliant on large contracts.”
Unite has vowed to continue supporting its members and push ABN to be more transparent and set out timelines so that workers know where they stand and what the future holds.
8 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2026
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