Sweet deal for sugar factory

Bosses at British Sugar have predicted a bright future, with more jobs on the way at its Newark factory.

European quotas on sugar production levels will be lifted on Sunday, which means the company can cash in on a record crop this year.

The Environment Secretary Michael Gove yesterday toured the Great North Road factory and welcomed the lifting of production restrictions that have been in place since 1968.

The quota system was controlled by the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy, which limited the amount of sugar that could be sold to the European market.

In previous years, when there has been a bumper sugar beet crop, British Sugar has had to store excess sugar in warehouses.

The Newark factory last year turned 1.1m tonnes of sugar beet into 250,000 tonnes of sugar. The national quota was 1.056m tonnes of sugar.

British Sugar Newark employs 135 staff and an additional 30 to 40 workers during the beet campaign, which this year began on September 14.

British Sugar managing director Mr Paul Kenward said lifting European restrictions meant more seasonal workers would be taken on this year.

He said it would lead to an increase in capacity and a bigger workforce in years to come.

Mr Gove said: “It is clear, talking to the team here at British Sugar, that there is a bright future for beet growers, and for those in the processing industry, as we leave the European Union.”