'Workers kept in the dark': Union raises fears over 500 jobs at animal feed firm with Leeds site

The warning comes as Unite vows to support its members at animal feed producer ABN following the loss of a major contract last year.

According to the union, the company is treating its workers at five sites, including those based at its Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant in Sherburn-in-Elmet, east of Leeds, “with contempt” after failing to come clean about potential job losses.

ABN is part of AB Agri and employs over 500 staff at animal feed mills in Yorkshire, Devon, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, and Cumbria, who work as mill operatives, drivers and engineers.

Unite stated that all 500 jobs could be at risk of redundancy, but its members are being “kept in the dark” over the firm’s future.

In April 2025, ABN was informed that it had lost a large contract to supply feed to food producer 2 Ag, after the company decided to move feed production to its own mills.

In a press release, Unite said that despite members hearing rumours, ABN did not inform the union until August or September that redundancies might be on the table, with the full scale of the issue only becoming clear in November following the loss of the contract with 2 Ag.

“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 general secretary Sharon Graham said.

The union added that it has met with the company “several times” since November, but still has no clarity of what the timescales for redundancies will be, leaving its members “in limbo” with no idea “if they are going to be working for ABN, someone else or indeed lose their jobs”.

"One of our reps has over 42 years’ service and feels totally let down by the company as it is now just not bothering,” 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.

"We are demanding that the company sets clear deadlines for decisions to be made and to support our members properly. We believe that the company don’t want to pay for redundancies so are holding onto workers so they will go to another company and be their problem. Unite will not stand for such behaviour."

ABN General Manager, Jonny Lester, said the company are taking “difficult but necessary” decisions to secure the sustainability of its business.

“This includes exploring multiple options for the future of affected sites,” he said.

“We are acutely aware of the uncertainty that this ongoing process creates for our colleagues and are working hard to support them with care, clarity and respect as we work towards its conclusion. We remain committed to communicating as transparently as possible with our employees and stakeholders and will continue to share confirmed information as soon as we are able, as we have been doing throughout the process so far.

“The actions we are taking reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality and reliable animal feed products, today and for the future.”