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Nestle food company announced this week that it will shut down its infant formula manufacturing plant in Ireland as the demand sharply declined. The closure will result in the loss of jobs for about 542 workers.
In particular, Nestle mentioned the lower demand for baby’s milk formula in China due to low birth rates. This situation forced the Swiss food company to reconsider its production.
Wyeth Nutrition Plant Imminent Shutdown
The Irish Times reported that the company made an announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 18, confirming the closure of its Wyeth Nutrition facility in Askeaton, Co Limerick. The firm said it will stop the operations here in the first quarter of 2026.
A research and development (R&D) facility also sits on the site alongside its manufacturing plant, and this was only established four years ago. Unfortunately, this will also be affected, and 51 employees are set to lose their jobs here. At the factory, 491 people would soon be jobless as well.
Wyeth Nutritionals Ireland Ltd. mainly produces infant formula products that are exclusively exported to Greater China and Asian markets. Nestle acquired the Limerick factory in 2012 as part of its $11.85 billion buyout deal with Pfizer Nutrition.
Low Birth Rate in China
According to BBC News, Nestlé explained that the very low birth rate in China affected its profits since the demand is very low, and unfortunately, the firm has to halt production.
Babies born in the country were only half of the number of the usual rate in the past seven years. The country also decided to build its own infant formula market, and this further lowered the demand for imported milk.
“Today, we are announcing a proposal to cease operations in our Wyeth Nutrition infant formula factory in Askeaton, Co Limerick, Ireland by Q1 2026,” Nestle UK and Ireland stated in a press release. Regrettably, today’s announcement means approximately 542 colleagues will be placed at risk of redundancy. To adapt to those changes we are proposing to transfer the production from Askeaton to two existing factories – Suzhou, Mainland China and Konolfingen, Switzerland.”
Photo by: Lucy Wolski/Unsplash
