Nearly 400 jobs to be lost at Grangemouth as chemicals producer to close plant

Syngenta, which has placed 377 jobs at risk, has started a formal consultation with trade unions and and workers over closing the site.

The Swiss-owned technology company produces crop protection and seeds for farmers around the world.

It comes after another 400 workers at the Grangemouth oil refinery were made redundant last year.

Mike Hollands, Syngenta Crop Protection’s Global Head of Production and Supply and President of Syngenta UK, said, “The workforce at Grangemouth is highly skilled and passionate, but despite all efforts, we have not been able to make the Grangemouth site competitive compared to alternative supply options.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we make this proposal, but we are committed to a constructive consultation and will continue to consider options as part of that process.”

The company says that “no final decision has been made” and that it “remains committed to genuine consultation with trade unions and employee representatives and the consideration of alternative options or paths forward for the site.”

It added that the “site faces high costs and remains significantly more expensive to operate than other production sites, despite substantial efforts to reduce the difference.”

Syngenta said it had “identified areas with savings potential and explored options for its formulation technologies, but these efforts would still fall short in bridging the site’s competitiveness gap.”

In May 2025 Syngenta was awarded £2.2m from Scottish Enterprise to expand production, creating 38 new jobs and safeguarding 14 existing roles.

The funding was towards a £14.7m project to expand production.

Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth Brian Leishman said: “This is absolutely horrendous news for the workforce, horrendous news for the town, which has seen a steady stream of deindustrialisation for decades.

“Syngenta approached both the UK and Scottish Governments. Both governments were willing to help.

“They put together a joint package, but unfortunately, Syngenta decided that their future lay outside of Grangemouth.

“Even though Syngenta said that both governments working together and the package was very generous, they've decided their future is outwith the town.

“As a constituency MP, I'm going to be on hand to work with the trade unions and the workers to try and find other employment, and I know that the UK Government is going to try and find new industry for the site which is ready to go. W

Hundreds of workers lost their jobs at Grangemouth last year when owners Petroineos - a joint venture between Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Chinese state owned Petrochina - closed Scotland’s last remaining oil refinery.

Syngenta is currently based at the site of the former ICI plant in Grangemouth, which forms part of Scotland's largest industrial hub.

The UK Government has announced that Grangemouth would receive £200m from the National Wealth Fund in February last year, but it recently admitted that none of the money had yet been spent.

Mr Leishman added: “I say to the Treasury, I say to Business and Trade, get spending, get shovels in the ground in Grangemouth, get new jobs into the town.

“Let's reindustrialise it. The money is there. The will has to be there. Get going.”

Grangemouth also missed out on a separate £200m pot of UK Government money for sustainable aviation fuel projects - despite a report recommending the site for jobs in the industry.

Some 29 separate awards were made from the Advanced Fuel Funds, which gave £162.3 million towards 26 different projects in England. More than £30m went towards to Welsh projects, while just £3m went to a sole Scottish project in Orkney.

Project Willow - a report into the future of the former oil refinery site commissioned by the UK and Scottish Governments - had cited sustainable aviation fuel as an industry which could create jobs on the site.

The first new project at Grangemouth after the refinery closure was given a £1.5m UK Government grant last year.

Scots firm MiAlgae - which makes fish-free Omega 3 out of algae by repurposing whisky byproducts - broke ground on its new facility in December with 310 jobs to be supported over the next five years.

Following the Syngenta announcement, SNP Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn said: “My thoughts are with the workers, their families and the local community who will be affected by this decision.

“We made clear to Syngenta’s board our strong opposition to any potential scale down or closure of their Grangemouth site.

“It is therefore extremely disappointing to hear that the board has taken the commercial decision to enter a consultation period on the closure of the site despite the Scottish Government's commitment to exploring support for its continued operations.

"During this period of consultation, I sincerely hope that the UK Government will now provide some of the £200 million committed to Grangemouth, since not a single penny has yet been allocated from that fund promised in 2025. I will continue to press the UK Government on this.

"Our priority now is to ensure that the affected workers receive support, which is why the Scottish Government’s initiative for responding to redundancy situations, PACE, stands ready to help those who may be affected by redundancy.

"I have been briefed by the company, and aim to meet with the trade unions, local MSPs, and the UK Government later today."

Unite national officer Tony Devlin said: “Unite is actively engaging with Syngenta about the company’s position to ensure the best possible outcome for workers.

“The closure of Syngenta would be a hammer blow for its workers, the local community in Grangemouth and the Scottish economy.”

Reindustrialisation Minister Blair McDougall met with the company on Thursday to discuss “all options” for the site and workforce.

Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander added: “As soon as the UK Government was made aware of this situation, we began exploring every option alongside the Scottish Government to support the site at pace. This is ultimately a commercial decision for Syngenta, a company facing a number of global challenges, but we will do everything we can to support those affected.

“We are working hand-in-hand with the Scottish Government to secure long-term jobs for the industrial cluster. Grangemouth's future lies in becoming a hub for industries supporting local jobs and we will not let up in our efforts to deliver that."