British Sugar Puts Cantley Factory Closure Under Review

British Sugar has proposed closing its Cantley sugar factory in Norfolk, putting more than 100 jobs at risk and potentially ending operations at the site from the end of February 2027, according to BBC reported. The company said the plan would improve efficiency and support the long-term future of the UK sugar industry, but also reflected low average European sugar prices, high energy costs and a long-term decline in sugar volumes. It will hold a consultation and begin discussions with Unite and other employee representatives. The closure would concentrate beet processing at British Sugar’s sites in Wissington, Bury St Edmunds and Newark. Cantley, opened in 1912, currently produces an average of 130,000 tonnes of sugar a year and received an £11m upgrade last year.