Hundreds of jobs under threat at Grangemouth chemical plant

Hundreds of jobs are under threat in Grangemouth after an agricultural chemical firm announced plans to cease operations at the site.

Syngenta said it had been unable to make its business at the plant "competitive" in the face of "increasing international competition".

A spokesperson for the company - which manufactures chemicals used for the protection of crops - said it would enter a consultation period over the move, but added a final decision has yet to be taken.

The Economy Secretary, Stephen Flynn, described the plans as "extremely disappointing".

The UK government's Reindustrialisation Minister, Blair McDougall, said they had worked with Scottish counterparts to "explore every possible avenue" for support, but Syngenta had taken the decision on a commercial basis.

A total of 377 workers are set to be affected by the move.

It comes over a year after Syngenta was awarded £2.2m from Scottish Enterprise to expand production at the site.

Syngenta added that it was "committed to genuine consultation" with trade unions over "alternative paths" for the site.

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