The owner of Cadbury’s, which operates a facility in Rathmore, has said it explicitly prohibits child labour.
The Mondelez International statement follows allegations broadcast on Channel 4 that the company hires children as young as 10 to work on cocoa farms in its supply chain.
The Dispatches programme, which aired last night, appeared to show footage from cocoa farms in Ghana.
Working on the farms were children as young as 10, who were filmed using machetes to weed the plantations.
They were also seen to be using sharp knives to open cocoa pods and harvesting pods from cocoa trees.
In a statement to Radio Kerry, a Mondelez spokesperson said the incidents documented in the programme were deeply concerning.
The statement also said that the company had been working relentlessly to take a stand against child labour.
The Cadbury’s owner has requested additional information from the production team so that it can act with the urgency required, it says.
