Leading United Kingdom poultry producer 2 Sisters Food Group has announced new investment to create the world’s most advanced poultry processing plant.
With a financial commitment of GB45 million (USD58.9 million), robotic cells will be installed in the company’s plant in Scunthorpe, according to Lincolnshire Reporter. The move will fully automate the process, increase capacity from the current 1.8 million birds per week to 2.4 million, and secure 1,600 jobs. The report adds that the investment will also bring improvements in animal welfare as well as finished product quality and presentation.
2 Sisters Food Group has previously announced investments in a program to reduce Campylobacter levels in poultry to minimize further the risk of foodborne disease in people.
“The whole team is delighted that Scunthorpe has been selected for such a major investment, the biggest since the site was built in 1988,” said Dan Whillock, 2 Sisters Scunthorpe General Manager. “The project has taken many months of planning and our goal has always been to build a truly world class facility, using the very latest technology to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare, bio security and product quality for our customers.”
“This investment is a clear demonstration of our commitment to Scunthorpe, making this key center the world’s most advanced poultry processing plant,” added an unnamed 2 Sisters Food Group spokesperson. “2 Sisters is in the midst of a GBP150-million program to revolutionize how poultry is processed in the UK for the benefit of our customers and consumers in general.”
Collaboration between 2 Sisters and Dunbia in question
In April this year, it was reported that 2 Sisters Food Group was in discussion with meat processor, Dunbia, about a possible future collaboration, but according to Belfast Telegraph last week, the deal may now have collapsed. Neither company would comment any such negotiation.
Based in Dungannon in Northern Ireland, Dunbia started in 1976 as a beef processor and now manufactures beef, lamb and pork products for retail, commercial and food-service markets, locally, nationally and internationally.
According to its website, 2 Sisters Food Group was founded in 1993. It produces one-third of all the poultry products eaten in the U.K.. As well as Value-Added & Chilled, and Branded Products, the company’s Protein business covers chicken, fish, beef and lamb foods in 3 divisions – U.K. Poultry, Red Meat, and European Poultry.
Fifth in the ranking of Top European poultry meat producers, 2 Sisters is estimated to have produced 317 million broiler chickens last year.
In October of 2015, 2 Sisters’ parent company, Boparan Holdings Ltd. announced a GBP150 million (US$230 million) investment in its poultry business over the next 3-4 years.
