Moy Park becomes North’s first £2 billion company

A MID Ulster-based poultry provider has made business history by becoming the first firm in the North to take in £2 billion in sales in a single year.

Moy Park, which started out as a family-run farming business in Moygashel, has made its fortune supplying chicken to supermarkets across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

It currently processes 5.7m birds per week, 500,000 of which go through its Dungannon factory.

Over the years, though, Moy Park has expanded its product range to include beef and pork products, as well as desserts and vegetarian foodstuffs.

Recently, the company published a report that revealed 2023 was the year it brought in its highest ever annual turnover, taking in a staggering £2bn.

According to the same report – which was added to Companies House last week – Moy Park’s pre-tax profits also rose dramatically from 2022 to 2023, soaring from £18.7m to £70.3m.

However, despite its widening margins, the number of employees fell from 9,619 to 8,978 over the same period.

That equates to a staff cut of seven per-cent.

Moy Park is headquartered in Craigavon, but is owned by US-based Pilgrim’s Pride Company, one of the largest food suppliers in the world.

Unite the Union has said it wants to see this trebling in Moy Park’s profits reflected in the wages of its workforce.

‘substantial’

“We’ll be looking for a substantial pay rise in keeping with the increase in the company’s pre-tax profits for 2023,” said Unite Union regional officer Sean McKeever, speaking with the Tyrone Herald.

“We don’t want to put the boot on any company for doing well. But we would like to see Moy Park make employees an offer that recognises the exceptional rise in this year’s economic performance.

“Pay talks usually start around Christmas and conclude in April.

“This will be a key factor in any coming talks.”