Stand-off at Kildare food plant escalates as more security staff arrive
A snowplough has been parked at the entrance to a neighbouring company in the Kildare business park
There is a heightened security presence this afternoon at the premises of one of Kildare’s most significant employers.
Meanwhile, a second business has moved to secure its property.
Up to a dozen members of an enforcement team are on duty near the Kerry Group’s Global and Technology & Innovation Centre at Millennium Park, on Naas’ outskirts, near the M7 motorway.
Some of them arrived after a number of caravans, believed to number nine, moved on to land which forms part of the Kerry complex.
The route to this land is marked by signposts reading “Kerry - Private Property” on either side of the road.
The caravans are situated behind recently erected barriers, which the enforcement team have provided to allow permitted personnel to arrive at and leave the site.
The route passes the Irish Commercials/ Volvo Trucks and Buses operation.
A number of large lorries have been parked outside the Irish Commercials car park in an apparent bid to frustrate a possible entry. Also, a large snowplough blocks the actual entrance to the site.
It is understood that court action has been initiated to secure an order to effectively have the caravans removed; however, Kerry has not responded to a request for comment.
The Irish Times reported on Friday that the High Court heard that on Wednesday, that caravans which were to be removed from adjacent to Chestnut House, Millennium Park, left but simply “did a U-turn” and tried to park in a section of the same property owned by Kerry Group Services Ltd, which houses Kerry’s global innovation and research centre.
The IT also reported that two caravans got into the Kerry car park through an emergency access road but left when asked by a security man to do so. They instead parked up on the footpath, grass verge and cycle track adjacent to the access roadway which is also part of the Kerry land.
The initial case related to a number of caravans, which arrived at a car park adjacent to Chestnut House in the park late last week.
Kerry is among the best known occupiers of the park.
The company invested an estimated €100m in the centre.
There were 800 people working there when then Taoiseach Enda Kenny performed the official opening just over 11 years ago.
That was expected to grow to 900 by the end of 2016 but in early 2021 Kerry announced plans to cut 150 jobs across its Irish operations.