Jobs go at Argyll firm after order lost

eight made unemployed at barcaldine laboratory after loss of £1.2million contract

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Jobs have gone at an Argyll science laboratory after it lost a contract worth £1.2millon to a company in the south of England.

Integrin Advanced Biosystems has been forced to make eight redundancies at its Barcaldine laboratory near Oban after losing a bid for a toxin testing contract put out to tender by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

The work is to ensure the safety of shellfish for human consumption. Integrin and Weymouth-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) shared the contract for three years until it ended in March.

Both companies put in bids for all of the work, but it was CEFAS which “best met the criteria”, according to an FSA spokes-woman.

Paul Burr, chief executive of Integrin, said: “Success in this tender would have resulted in significant expansion of employment in the Argyll area but the loss of the existing contract has resulted in the company having to carry out a limited programme of redundancies at the Argyll laboratory.

“While the company is disappointed that the contract has been awarded to an English-based testing organisation we have been assured that this decision was not made on the basis of price or the quality of work produced by Integrin.

“The FSA remain an important and valued customer and we expect other testing contracts with them to continue.

“Integrin Advanced Biosystems remain committed to the development of the Argyll laboratory and the expansion of testing and services to the Scottish and International sea fish and shellfish industries.”

The contract made up about a third of Integrin’s turnover, but Mr Burr believes they can recover from the setback.