Moy Park poultry shed expansion well under way
Northern Ireland integrator Moy Park has said it expects to have built 250 sheds by the end of 2015, less than 24 months after announcing a major expansion of its farming operation.
The company added that 90 houses had either been built or were nearing completion, with a number already having their first flocks through.
Last October, Moy Park said it intended to build up to 400 sheds close to processing facilities in Ballymena, Co Antrim, and Dungannon, Co Tyrone. It has also recently embarked upon a ÂŁ170m expansion of its killing capacity, which will create over 600 jobs, according to the firm.
Director Alan Gibson (pictured) said the growth planning was down to “long-term demand” from retailers and consumers for poultry. “We currently work with 800 of the very best poultry farmers and we are pleased with the response we’ve had to our call for growers in Northern Ireland to expand poultry production.”
Mr Gibson told Poultry World in an interview last year that he considered the poultry industry one of the “sexiest, most interesting industries around”.
Moy Park added it was still looking for growers in proximity to its two processing facilities, whether currently in poultry farming or not.