Diageo have confirmed that they will be closing their Waterford brewery with the loss of over 20 jobs. The company will close the brewery by the end of the year. 

Diageo said that following a review of its business, they would be centralising operations to the Dublin brewery located at St. James' Gate, according to RTÉ News.

The company intends to enter formal discussions with the current staff members in order to come to an agreement with a view to closing at the end of the year. Reports of the amount of people who will lose their jobs is conflicting, but the numbers range from 21 to 36.

Diageo has also confirmed that they intend to find other uses for the brewery in Waterford, and have entered discussions with Enterprise Ireland as a part of these plans.

Paul Armstrong, Supply Chain Director at Diageo commented on WLR: "Through their skill and commitment our employees at Waterford have made an outstanding contribution to our business over many years and it is with sadness and regret that we are required to make this decision in order to maintain our global competitiveness."

Armstrong continued: "We are committed to supporting these employees in exploring alternative employment through career management expertise, career counselling and outplacement support."