Moy Park outlines plans to improve sustainability

The UK’s largest processor of fresh chicken Moy Park has outlined plans to improve its carbon footprint.

In its latest corporate responsibility report the company highlighted key areas for improving sustainability.

These included agricultural sustainability, waste, energy and water.

Moy Park said it was committed to planting 90,000 trees on its farms by the end of 2012, as well as using new, 100% recycled litter to improve sustainability on its farms.

Agricultural developments

The poultry company has already installed low energy lamps, under floor heating to reduce gas usage, fans and automatic lighting controls alongside windows in houses which ensure lights are not in full use when the houses are lit by daylight.

Environmental sustainability

“We are committed to acting responsibly as a company and this ethos not only delivers a competitive advantage to the business, it also impacts positively on employee wellbeing, our reputation as an ethical business and results in economic benefits.”
Mike Mullan, Moy Park HR and business improvement director

Meanwhile it has reduced its landfill waste at Ashbourne, Derbyshire, from more than 57t to 0.8t per month, by identifying opportunities to “reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.”

The next step is to reduce the quantity of waste generated and divert 100% from landfill, it says.

To improve energy efficiency low energy lighting has been installed at Ashbourne, which require 17% less power.

“Over the course of a year the new lighting will save 23,500 KWh of power,” said a spokesman from Moy Park.

Moy Park has recorded a 20% drop in weekly water usage at its Craigavon site and to further improve this they are replacing bottled water coolers with mains fed water coolers.

Researchers have estimated that the environmental impact of using bottled water is between 90-100 times higher than mains water.

Mike Mullan, Moy Park HR and business improvement director said: “We are committed to acting responsibly as a company and this ethos not only delivers a competitive advantage to the business, it also impacts positively on employee wellbeing, our reputation as an ethical business and results in economic benefits.”

For a full copy of the report visit www.moypark.com