Grampian taken over by Dutch firm

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One of Scotland's biggest food firms, Grampian Country Foods, has been taken over by a major Dutch company.

Livingston-based Grampian, which employs 17,500 staff, has been bought by Vion, a food producer based in Son en Breugel in the Netherlands.

Vion already has four UK based firms which produce bacon, pork, beef, sausages and pizzas.

Vion has an annual turnover of 7.1bn euros and employs 18,000 people in its worldwide operation.

The company offered assurances on job security and said it had a history of investment in the UK.

A spokeswoman told the BBC Scotland news website: "It is very much business as usual."

Grampian was established in Banff in 1980 and has grown to be one of Scotland's biggest private companies.

It will be integrated into Vion's UK operation, which is based in Kent.