Glanbia has ended its franchise agreement with Yoplait, resulting in the loss of 50 jobs at the Glanbia facility at Inch in Co Wexford.
Some of the workers have been with the company for more than 25 years and the average length of service at the facility is 17 years. The employees were told yesterday.
The company brought in milk at Inch and made yogurts there, but the yogurts will now be made in France.
There will be 47 jobs going with the closure of the facility and a further three jobs will go in distribution.
Glanbia announced it will continue to distribute the brand, but that they sold the franchise rights to Yoplait for €18m.
The company has held the Yoplait franchise for the manufacture and sale of the brand in Ireland since 1973.
While the factory in Inch will close, farmers who supply the plant with milk will be unaffected, with their milk going to one of Glanbia's other facilities.
Glanbia’s Colin Gordon said: "We recognise this is a difficult time for all those impacted and will be consulting with employee representatives in the period ahead."
SIPTU will meet Glanbia management on Monday to discuss the closure plans.
Spokesman Terry Bryan said the focus of the meeting will be on saving jobs.
He said the majority of the workforce at Inch live in north Wexford or south Wicklow and the plant closure will have a significant negative impact on the local economy.
