MORE jobs could be created by a Corsham company that processes meat products for one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains.

Dalehead Foods Ltd on the town’s Leafield Industrial Estate stands to benefit from a switch in production by parent company Pilgrim’s UK, which is closing large factories in Coalville in Leicestershire and Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, putting 640 jobs at risk.

Dalehead already employs more than 300 people in Corsham and launched a recruitment drive for skilled and unskilled people in September 2021 to support its ongoing expansion plans.

A spokesman for Pilgrim’s UK said it was "too early" to speculate on whether or how many more jobs might come to Corsham following the switch in production to Dalehead Foods.

He said the company hopes to make an announcement in a few week's time.

It has been based in the town for more than 30 years and runs a food production process from farm to fork.

The company manages four manufacturing sites dedicated to producing pork and lamb meat products for upmarket retailer Waitrose.

Pilgrim’s UK warned in September that job losses were likely as it disclosed plans to cease operations at the two factories threatened. It has now confirmed the cost-cutting move after talks with unions and employees.

Pilgrim’s UK described the closures as “difficult but necessary” and said it will now embark on a phased closure plan for the two factories.

Production from Coalville and Bury St Edmunds will be switched to Dalehead Foods in Corsham and Pilgrim’s factories in Andover in Hampshire, Linton in Cambridgeshire, and King’s Lynn in Norfolk.

A Pilgrim’s UK spokesman said: “Pilgrim’s UK has made the difficult but necessary decision to implement the proposal to close our Coalville and Bury St Edmunds manufacturing sites.

“This will be a phased process while the transfer of products to alternative Pilgrim’s UK sites takes place.

“We would like to thank all of those involved in the process for their outstanding professionalism and high-quality levels of service maintained, during what we recognise has been a challenging time.”

Pilgrim’s UK blamed “difficult market conditions” in the UK pig sector since 2021 for the cut-backs.

The Coalville factory employs 350 staff, while the Bury St Edmunds site employs 290 people.

The company has also cut production at its factory in Ashton-under-Lyne in Greater Manchester to a four-day week, threatening 35 more jobs.