Syngenta proposes Grangemouth closure, putting almost 400 jobs at risk

Syngenta has proposed closing its Grangemouth plant, a move that puts almost 400 jobs at risk, and the Scottish Government said on Tuesday that it will do “all it can” to secure a future for the site. Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn told MSPs he was “profoundly” disappointed by the decision to enter consultation with the workforce.

The firm makes chemicals used to protect crops. It announced last week that it plans to cease all operations at the site by the end of 2027, according to the BBC. Syngenta says “no final decision” has been made.

What Syngenta has said

Syngenta told the BBC it had carried out a “detailed review” of the Grangemouth operation before the announcement. It said the site was “significantly more expensive” to run than its other production facilities and that it faced “increasing international competition”.

Mike Hollands, 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.” He added that the company was “committed to a constructive consultation” and would keep considering options during it.

The Unite union said it had pressed the Scottish Government on the “urgency of the situation”. Scott Foley, its industrial officer, said further meetings with Syngenta were scheduled, where the union would “press the case for a pause in the closure plans until every option is fully explored”. He said Unite would also support contractors and the wider supply chain.

Public money and political questions

Grangemouth is already dealing with industrial loss. The Evening Standard reported that more than 400 workers lost their jobs a year ago when the Grangemouth oil refinery, Scotland’s last, closed. Together with the almost 400 jobs now at risk, that is close to 800 jobs across two sites in about a year, though the Syngenta jobs are at risk rather than confirmed lost.

Syngenta was awarded £2.2m by Scottish Enterprise in May last year to expand production at the plant, according to the BBC. The company has collected about £1m of that and has pledged to repay it in full if the site closes.

That has prompted political questions. Green MSP Patrick Harvie called for “binding guarantees” whenever the private sector receives public money. Conservative MSP Meghan Gallacher said repayment was “only right” but asked how much due diligence was done before the award, and pointed to job losses at the nearby Alexander Dennis site.

What happens next

Mr Flynn said both the Scottish and UK governments approached Syngenta in September about support for the site. He said neither received “substantive feedback” on its offer, nor any indication of the board’s position before being told of the proposed consultation last week. Syngenta’s response to this account was not in the sources reviewed. He has written to Scottish Enterprise to ensure “no stone is left unturned”, and to the UK Government urging “meaningful action”.

He said many of the challenges the company identified “lie outside devolved powers” and that not a penny of the £200m National Wealth Fund commitment had been deployed. Industrialisation Minister Blair McDougall said last week that the UK Government would keep working closely with Syngenta on options for the site and workforce. The UK Government’s response to Mr Flynn’s specific claim was not in the sources reviewed.

Separately, official records show the UK Government has held talks on the wider Grangemouth site. DESNZ’s published ministerial meetings list Ed Miliband attending a Grangemouth Investment Taskforce meeting with the Scottish National Investment Bank on 21 May 2025, to discuss the refinery site’s future and investment. That meeting concerned the refinery site rather than Syngenta.

The sources do not say how long the Syngenta consultation will last. The firm’s stated end date is the end of 2027, and Mr Flynn spoke of exploring options “over the coming months”. Unite’s further meetings with Syngenta are the next confirmed step.