JOBS at Bodmin's largest employer are at risk with meat processor Tulip looking to axe 150 across three of its sites.
Redundancy talks have begun with an undisclosed number of its Bodmin employees, along with staff at factories in Boston, Lincolnshire and King's Lynn, Norfolk.
It could prove to be another jobs blow for the town after 60 staff were made redundant last month when MPG Books collapsed.
The book manufacturer went into administration last week after a rescue bid failed.
A further 60 jobs were lost at MPG Books last December.
Dutch-owned Tulip employs 851 people at its processing plant at Newtons Margate in Bodmin.
Tulip said that it had begun a 30-day consultation over the job cuts, caused after it failed to secure a major contract.
It said discussions with staff were continuing with the aim of "redeploying as many as possible of them'' to alternative roles within the business.
Tulip's group human resources' director, Kirsty Wilkins, said: "We are currently operating in an extremely challenging economic environment which has led to the need to announce proposed changes at three of our sites as a result of a failing to secure a tender.
"We have therefore entered into consultation with colleagues whose roles are potentially at risk of redundancy and are working closely with them to, wherever possible, lessen the impact of this announcement."
Many of the people employed at Tulip have made their homes in Bodmin after arriving from countries such as Poland and Portugal.
Bodmin mayor Ken Stubbs said it was another blow for employment in the town, but he felt other jobs would be created over the coming years.
"The Portuguese have fitted very well into the local community, and even have their own shop now. They work very hard and I will be sorry if many of them lose their jobs at Tulip," he said.
"We have lost the jobs at MPG Books too, but I'm reasonably optimistic that Bodmin is going to expand and we will see more jobs created in the town. Bodmin is a going to grow, and with it will come new jobs."
Tulip, which is also behind brands Danepak and Spam, has 17 UK manufacturing sites and supplies bacon, pork, sausage and cooked meat products to both the retail and food service sectors.
See Page 7 for the latest on MPG Books.
