End of the road for omega-3 oil production at Heanor

Ingredients giant DSM has confirmed that it will not be rebuilding its omega-3 and omega-6 oils factory in Heanor, Derbyshire, which was gutted by a fire in June.

Production is being transferred to another DSM facility in Grenzach, Germany, said the company. “After careful consideration of various long-term options, DSM has elected not to re-build Heanor. Grenzach will, from now on, ensure DSM's long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) production requirements, with sufficient production capacity.”

DSM had started a consultation process with employees at Heanor, and was seeking to “minimise the number of redundancies where possible”. It had also promised to assist staff in finding new jobs, said the company.

The Heanor facility caught fire on June 4, prompting a massive clean-up operation from the Environment Agency and the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals after gallons of fish oil poured into waterways at Shipley Country Park.

DSM Nutritional Products is a leading supplier of vitamins, carotenoids and other active ingredients to the feed, food, pharmaceutical and personal care industries. The business turns over more than euro 2bn.