HKScan wins environmental plant permit

22-Mar-2016 - Last updated on 22-Mar-2016 at 08:10 GMT

HKScan has won a permit for its poultry production site in Finland

Nordic meat giant HKScan has won crucial environmental permits necessary for the business to run slaughter and meat processing work at its unfinished Rauma facility in Finland.

On Monday 21 March, HKScan was told by Finland’s Regional State Administrative Agency that it had won a permit for its chicken production site in the city of Rauma. As far back as October 2014, HKScan has made public its desire to open a new poultry production site in Finland to replace its old one.

The decision by the Finnish authorities confirmed that HKScan’s application complied with all the provisions of several laws, including the Environmental Protection Act, the Waste Act and the Nature Conservation Act.

Construction on the new plant is already underway, but the facility is not expected to be completed before the end of 2017. The processing site will replace HKScan’s current production factory in Eura.

HKScan said its plan for the new facility was to specialise in the growing poultry segment by increasing its production of chicken meat products. The company estimated that, in total, its investment in the new Finnish site would come to around €80m ($90m). Through this investment, HKScan said it would be able to increase production capacity and cut throughput times.

“The state-of-the-art production technology to be installed at the new plant will enable the development of innovative Kariniemen novelties for the domestic and export markets,” said HKScan in a statement published on 21 March. “In compliance with its responsibility programme, HKScan will strive to maximise material, energy and environmental efficiency in all equipment procured for the new plant.”

Last year, HKScan reported pre-tax sales of €1.9bn ($2.1bn) and had around 7,400 employees across the Nordic and Baltic regions.