The processor reported a “marked increase in grocery retail and subsequent demand for poultry produce due to COVID-19” and has listed hundreds of temporary job opportunities across a range of roles in its agriculture and production operations.
Moy Park said many of these positions could be particularly suitable to those from within the hospitality industry due to an existing awareness and familiarity with food hygiene and safety regulations, as well as other transferrable skills.
Moy Park HR and performance director Kirsty Wilkins said: “There has been a noticeable increase in grocery sales as people practice social distancing and self-isolate. This has resulted in a heightened demand for chicken produce and with it, opportunities in the sector to meet this demand. As a team we are committed to ensuring we provide nutritious food for our communities, and we are keen to support individuals who are looking for short term employment to meet changing consumer purchasing habits.
“This increase in grocery retail comes at a time when there has been a fall in demand across our sister sectors of hospitality and tourism as people’s socialising and travel plans are curtailed. We hope the pressure being faced across these industries is short term and, in the meantime, we are keen to help anyone looking for a job through these new opportunities.”
Wilkins added that Moy Park has stepped up its own coronavirus measures. “The health and wellbeing of our team is our most important consideration and we are following all relevant government advice and protocols. This includes increased frequency of the sanitising of communal areas and increased availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) across our factories. Our business is nothing without the people and the farms who supply us. We are thankful to all our team members who are doing a fantastic job. We continue to operate as normal and we have a dedicated team in place which has given careful thought and planning to how we will manage different scenarios.”
2 Sisters Food Group
Fellow poultry processor 2 Sisters Food Group is also advertising positions at a number of its sites. On Twitter it posted recruitment ads for plants in Scunthorpe, Carlisle, Rogerstone, Thetford, Willand, Flintshire and Perthshire.
On the posts, a statement said: “We are all having to pull together right now through what will certainly be challenging, uncertain times.
“At 2 Sisters we are working around the clock to ensure we continue to support our workforce and remain focussed to deliver food products onto the shelves of our customers and supermarkets. If your employment has been affected by the coronavirus, we can help you right now. We have vacancies across many of our factories, so you can help us to help feed the nation.”