Moy Park hits six million bird milestone

04-Jun-2018 - Last updated on 04-Jun-2018 at 10:37 GMT

Moy Park's Mark Singleton and Shane McDonald were instrumental in reaching the six million per week milestone

Poultry processor Moy Park has announced that it has reached a major production milestone, with the company producing six million birds per week for the first time in its 75 year history.

It has increased production by 20% since 2015 and now supplies 30% of the total UK poultry market, citing consumer demand for domestically-sourced produce for the growth.

Moy Park has 12 processing facilities in Northern Ireland, England, France and Holland and works in partnership with over 800 dedicated farming partners across the UK, who supply poultry to the company.

David Gibson, Moy Park director of agriculture, said: “Reaching six million birds per week is a huge achievement for Moy Park. This growth is testament to our commitment to agricultural and operational excellence and will ensure Moy Park is well equipped to meet demand for locally sourced, high quality poultry products.

“A key driver of Moy Park’s success is the continued dedication and support of our teams and farmers, and we thank them for their hard work in reaching this milestone.

“By continuing to invest in our industry-leading agricultural base and state-of-the-art processing facilities, along with customer focused innovation, this latest announcement creates a solid platform for future growth. Demand for our products remains strong across all our regions and the business is well placed to expand on its position as a leading European food company.”

The business recently completed construction of a state-of-the-art hatchery in Newark, England. This new facility is one of the first of its kind in Europe and hatches 2.5 million chicks per week, making it the largest single-build hatchery in the UK.

Pilgrim’s Pride recently appointed former Greencore US chief Chris Kirke as president of Moy Park.