A leading food firm has announced a £3 million investment in its Tayside base.
The move by ABP Perth has been hailed as a major boost to the local economy.
Bosses said the investment, which is backed by the Scottish Government, is the first phase of a major upgrade of its Inveralmond plant, which could see it transformed into a world class facility.
The company has a workforce of around 280 and works with 1,600 farmers around Scotland.
Up to 1,500 cattle are slaughtered and processed at the factory each week.
The improvements include an expansion of the chilling and maturation facilities, creating “state of the art” production areas and better staff amenities.
Council leader Ian Campbell hailed the project as a boost for the area’s food sector.
“This is welcome news,” he said. “ABP Food Group is one of Europe’s leading food processors and works with farmers across the country.
“Perth and Kinross is an area with such a strong reputation for quality food and drink and it’s very encouraging that they are choosing to invest so heavily in their Perth site.”
Mr Campbell added: “The opportunities that will be created from this investment and the boost it will bring to the local economy really is exciting news.”
Tom Kirwan, Managing Director of ABP UK, said: “We are really excited to be moving forward with the development and creating a facility that will not only support Scottish agriculture by providing a world-class processing facility, but will also enable additional value to be created which will be good for local employment and the economy.”
The plant was taken over by the ABP Food Group in 1997. Since then, the company has ramped up production and investing in new grading facilities.
It has also patented a unique way of preparing carcasses, and most recently called on the help of animal handling expert Temple Grandin to design a new lairage and live cattle handling unit.
Mr Kirwan said the Perth plant was part of a global £2.5 billion turnover company, operating across 46 sites in eight different countries.
