Processor Cranswick has reported that building work has commenced on the construction of its new primary poultry facility in Eye, Suffolk.
Following Cranswick’s purchase of Crown Chicken, based in Weybread and Kenninghall, in April 2016, Cranswick has spent the last two years developing the business and is now moving to the next phase of growth.
The new site is due to open in late 2019, when it will be operating the most efficient poultry processing facilities both in the UK and Europe, said the company, supplying leading UK retailers and other manufacturers with fresh poultry.
The site will employ over 700 people, with approx. 300 new jobs created in the region and the remaining staff transferred from Cranswick’s existing production facility in Weybread. Cranswick already operates three food processing sites and runs pig and chicken farming operations across Norfolk and Suffolk, employing more than 2,000 people in the region.
The project is the largest single investment ever undertaken by Cranswick. Additional investment is planned across the farming and feed-milling infrastructure, taking the total investment relating to the project to c£70m. When complete, the site will have more than 1,000 tonnes of structural steelwork; over 80,000 tonnes of earth will have been excavated; and more than 10,000 tonnes of concrete foundations will have been laid.
Managing director of Cranswick Poultry David Park said: “The project at Eye is very exciting and will create one of the most advanced poultry sites in Europe. Since acquiring Crown Chicken in April 2016, we have been committed to ensuring work on the site is carried out by local companies. We are excited to welcome existing team members to the new site at Eye and look forward to creating around 300 new jobs in the region.”