FARMERS and 300 workers hit by the recent closure of a turkey factory in the region will be pinning their hopes on a meeting between their local MP and the Trade and Industry Minister Alan Johnson.

Brandons went into receivership last week blaming cheap imports from South America.

Workers at the factory at Dalton, near Thirsk in North Yorkshire, were told they were being laid off soon afterwards.

However, as many as 60 farms and 50 contracting companies are now in jeopardy - and Conservative MP Anne McIntosh, is hoping to persuade the Government to do what it can to help.

She will meet Mr Johnson in the Commons some time this week.

" I look forward to meeting Alan Johnson to discuss the issues surrounding the closure of the turkey processing plant,"said Miss McIntosh, who represents the Vale of York in Parliament.

" I am particularly concerned by the Government's failure to address the problem of the cheap imports of frozen turkeys from Brazil, which caused the company's financial difficulties.

" I will also be asking for the Government's assistance in helping the workforce to find new jobs.

"I am already working closely with local partners, such as North Yorkshire County Council and Jobcentre Plus, to ensure the excellent employees at the factory find work as quickly as possible.

"I will also lobby the Department of Trade and Industry on behalf of the poultry farmers who supplied Brandons, who will also suffer as a result of the closure of the factory."

Meanwhile, Miss McIntosh has also promised to highlight animal welfare concerns raised in the wake of the factory closure, as birds reared in North Yorkshire will now have to travel to Derbyshire for slaughter.

" I am grateful to the minister for this meeting and any possible help that he can give," she added.

Doubt over the future of the Dalton plant began in February when Brandons announced it was reviewing its operations in light of the flood of cheap imports from abroad.

Consultation with staff began - but any hope for the Thirsk workers was effectively snuffed out last week when production ceased.

The factory will still be maintained while receivers, Pricewaterhouse Cooper, seek a buyer for the plant.