France: Malteurop shut down its Reims malting plant of 92,000 Tonnes

The plan of shutting down the Reims malting plant with a capacity of 92000 tonnes has been announced to the staff representatives at an extraordinary workers council meeting held on November 3 at the head office in Reims.

The Managing Director of Malteurop International, Daniel Huvet, and the Managing Director of Malteurop, Alain Le Floch, commented: �A large overcapacity in Europe, with recent developments in port areas, the construction of massive production capacities in Eastern Europe and in the Americas, a highly competitive market situation regretfully force us to consider the closure of our Reims cost-underperforming malting location. Subject to negotiations with the workers council representatives, the Reims maltings should cease operations in the first quarter 2006.�