Meat processor’s £5M investment to create 179 jobs
The investment at its meat plant in Dungannon– supported by the local government agency Invest Northern Ireland – follows strong demand – particularly from supermarket chain Morrisons.
Linden Foods – which is part of the Fane Valley group – makes up to 350 different food products including chicken kebabs. The firm also sources and processes lamb and beef products for supermarkets, convenience food and the meat packaging industry in the UK and Europe.
Trevor Lockhart, chairman of Linden Foods, said: “This investment is an important part of our long term development strategy and underlines our commitment to the Dungannon area.
He added that support from the Jobs Fund will allow the firm to create the workforce needed to meet the demand for its new product range from export customers and enable the company “to cement our leading position within the meat processing industry”.
Quality and convenience trends
Lockhart told the BBC News: “Quality and convenience are still key trends within this sector. Despite the economic pressures, consumers still want fast and economic solutions for the family evening meal. Through that, we have been able to build a reputation for quality of products and we have been able to build our business on the back of that.”
The investment – made with £500,000 funding from Invest Northern Ireland – is predicted to generate more than £2.5M each year in additional salaries.
‘Fantastic boost’
Enterprise minister Arlene Foster welcomed the investment as “a fantastic boost” to the local area, the local community and to the wider Northern Ireland economy.
“Linden Foods has demonstrated a clear desire to continually innovate, maintain its reputation for quality products and retain its focus on growing export sales of its products for the retail sector,” she said.
“Invest Northern Ireland’s support will enable this progressive meat processing firm to recruit its new staff members quickly and capitalise on growth opportunities within the convenience food market.”
Foster added that the Invest Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund had helped to create more than 2,600 new jobs. It had provided much needed employment and boosted the capacity of the businesses it has supported, allowing them to take advantage of market opportunities, she claimed.
About 100 of the production line vacancies have been filled already.
In additon to Morrisons, the firm also supplies Marks & Spencer and Lidl.
Linden Foods was established in 1998 after the merger of Granville and Milltown.
