Poultry firm creates more than 600 new jobs

Northern Ireland enterprise, trade and investment minister Arlene Foster announced the investment at the poultry processor’s Dungannon, Craigavon and Ballymena sites. Invest Northern Ireland is providing financial assistance of £9.5 million towards the expansion.

The investment by Moy Park, part of the Marfrig Group, will include additional processing lines and the establishment of an innovation centre, where new products will be produced, said Invest NI.

Financial services will also be based at the Craigavon site. The new jobs, 100 of which are already in place, include roles in management, supervisory, processing and financial shared services.

‘Big ambitions’​

“Moy Park started as a small farming company in 1943 and has grown into a top UK business with a £1.5bn turnover,”​ said ceo Janet McCollum. “We continue to have big ambitions and this investment will allow us to further grow our operations and create new jobs in Northern Ireland.”​

Marfrig Global Foods ceo, Sergio Rial added: “We are committed to growing our operations in Northern Ireland and this investment, with support from Invest Northern Ireland, helps us to achieve that. We have had ongoing, positive engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive and have experienced a very pro-business attitude.”​

‘Huge boost’​

Foster said: “This investment, which will mean a £10.5M increase in wages and salaries annually for the local economy, is a huge boost of confidence in Northern Ireland as a European food production and manufacturing centre of excellence by a world leading company.”​

“The expansion will further enhance Moy Park’s contribution to the local economy by enabling the business to achieve a substantial growth in sales, mostly to customers outside Northern Ireland, by 2018.​

“Today’s announcement is a sign of Marfrig’s ongoing commitment to Northern Ireland. The new jobs are being created over a four year period across Moy Park’s three sites in Ballymena, Craigavon and Dungannon, with a variety of roles available including 70 high value posts based in the new Innovation Centre.”​

The development follows Marfrig’s 2013 announcement it would bring its European business units together under the direction and leadership of Moy Park to boost sales and margins in the region.

£20M convenience facility​

In April 2013, Moy Park announced plans for a £20M convenience foods facility at its Grantham food processing site in Lincolnshire, creating more than 150 jobs.

The business has launched a major grower expansion programme aimed at increasing breeder and broiler growing capacity by up to 400 poultry houses in Northern Ireland by the end of 2015.

It also pumped €25M (£19.9M) into its beef plant in Orleans, France, doubling its size and improving traceability and freezing technology.

Moy Park operates sites processing diverse primary and convenience products, ranging from whole birds, ingredients, snacking products and Chicken Kievs, supplying customers including McDonald’s and Burger King,

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