150 jobs are to go at a company in Cork which manufactures citric acid for the soft drinks and food industries.
ADM, which is based in Ringaskiddy, said the plant was no longer viable due to intense international competition.
This plant has been in operation since the early 1970s and was acquired by the US-based ADM in 1990.
For several years the plant had been under intense pressure and in 2003 it was shut for five months during a dispute with SIPTU over new shift arrangements. In July it was revealed that a quarter of a million litres of caustic soda leaked from the plant into Cork Harbour.
However, workers said they were shocked by today's announcement.
The closure of the plant will begin immediately and will take over a month to complete. A company spokesman said this afternoon's announcement was irreversible.
