FDBusiness.com

Poultry processor Moy Park has announced a £170 million expansion across three sites in Northern Ireland at Dungannon, Craigavon and Ballymena that will provide 628 new jobs over a four year period. The expansion programme will allow Moy Park to achieve a substantial growth in sales, mostly to customers outside Northern Ireland.

The investment by Moy Park, which is part of Brazil-based meat processor Marfrig Group, will include additional processing lines and the establishment of an Innovation Centre, which will drive new product development, as well as Financial Services – a new role for the Craigavon site. The new jobs, 100 of which are already in place, include roles in management, supervisory, processing and financial shared services.

Janet McCollum, chief executive of Moy Park.

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

The investment will mean a £10.5 million increase in wages and salaries annually for the local economy. Invest Northern Ireland is providing financial assistance of £9.5 million towards the expansion.

Sergio Rial, chief executive of Marfrig Global Foods, says: “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.”