Danish Crown to create €70m beef processing plant

Danish Crown is to build a new slaughter processing plant in Holsted, Denmark that it is claimed will be the largest investment so far in the European beef slaughter sector. 

The new factory, costing €70m, will employ 300 and process 4,500 cattle a week at a rate of 120 an hour. Up to 300 tons of meat a week will be processed.

Slaughtering should start on the site in early 2014. When built, Danish Crown will close its existing slaughterhouses in Tønder and Holstebro, as well as cutting rooms and a retail production facility in Skjern and Fårvang. Its existing headquarters in Herning will also move to the new factory, probably in autumn 2013, according to the company.

Dutch food sector production line specialists NAWI will build the new beef slaughter line and carcase chills stores.

Danish Crown’s beef division director Lorenz Hansen said: “The new slaughterhouse is designed by NAWI in such a way that hygiene, meat quality and the working environment will be significantly improved.”