A total of 31 jobs are under threat following Archer Daniels Midland’s decision to close its soybean processing plant in Illinois.

ADM, one of the world’s leading agricultural processors, said market conditions are to blame for the closure of the site in Galesburg. The facility has been idle since April.

A spokesman said: “The decision to close the facility was not based on the quality of our work or the quality of our product. Several factors, including the growing soybean export market, the increasing cost of beans and a decrease in domestic demand for soybean meal, put severe pressure on the profitability of the Galesburg plant and drove the decision to close the facility.”

Some of the 31 workers at the processor will have an opportunity to transfer to other ADM facilities, although the exact number has not yet been determined. Processing operations will be absorbed at other plants.