While it said no final decision had been made, and alternatives will be considered, the company said it had been reviewing its Grangemouth operations for some time amid increasing international competition and challenging energy positions.

Syngenta said the site is “significantly more expensive to operate than other production sites, despite substantial efforts to reduce the difference”.

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In May 2025 it was announced that the company had been awarded £2.2m from Scottish Enterprise to expand production, creating 38 new jobs and safeguarding 14 existing roles.

The funding was towards a £14.7m project to expand production.

Then deputy First Minister Kate Forbes visited the company to make the announcement, saying: “Syngenta’s expansion at Grangemouth is great news and I am grateful to the company for its significant contribution to the Grangemouth Future Industry Board.

“I am proud of the investment we are able to make through Scottish Enterprise, as part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to shaping a sustainable future for the chemicals sector.

“This reflects our vision for Grangemouth, in encouraging innovative companies to choose the industrial complex for access to a skilled workforce and established infrastructure.”

Syngenta has previously attracted controversy for continuing to operate in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The potential job losses come as a further blow for what is deemed the ‘Grangemouth cluster’, Scotland’s largest concentration of industry and infrastructure.

The Grangemouth Refinery closed last year with the loss of more than 400 direct jobs.

Mike Hollands, Syngenta Crop Protection’s global head of production and supply and president of Syngenta UK, said: “The workforce at Grangemouth is highly skilled and passionate, but despite all efforts, we have not been able to make the Grangemouth site competitive compared to alternative supply options.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we make this proposal, but we are committed to a constructive consultation and will continue to consider options as part of that process.”

Cabinet Secretary for economy, tourism and transport Stephen Flynn said: “My thoughts are with the workers, their families and the local community who will be affected by this decision.

“We made clear to Syngenta’s board our strong opposition to any potential scale down or closure of their Grangemouth site.

“It is therefore extremely disappointing to hear that the board has taken the commercial decision to enter a consultation period on the closure of the site despite the Scottish Government’s commitment to exploring support for its continued operations.

“During this period of consultation, I sincerely hope that the UK Government will now provide some of the £200 million committed to Grangemouth, since not a single penny has yet been allocated from that fund promised in 2024. I will continue to press the UK Government on this.

“Our priority now is to ensure that the affected workers receive support, which is why the Scottish Government’s initiative for responding to redundancy situations, PACE, stands ready to help those who may be affected by redundancy.

“I have been briefed by the company, and aim to meet with the trade unions, local MSPs, and the UK Government later today.”

Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said: “Today’s news will first and foremostly be felt by the workers at Syngenta’s facility and my thoughts are with them.

“As soon as the UK Government was made aware of this situation, we began exploring every option alongside the Scottish Government to support the site at pace. This is ultimately a commercial decision for Syngenta, a company facing a number of global challenges, but we will do everything we can to support those affected.

“We are working hand-in-hand with the Scottish Government to secure long-term jobs for the industrial cluster. Grangemouth’s future lies in becoming a hub for industries supporting local jobs and we will not let up in our efforts to deliver that.”