Moy Park development house aims to lift bird performance

Poultry integrator Moy Park has invested in a state-of-the-art “poultry development house”, aiming to deliver significant improvements in rearing practices and bird welfare.

The unit is located in Co Down, close to the company’s headquarters in Northern Ireland, and incorporates best farming practices, leading technology and science, it says.

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It is more than 18,500sq ft in size and is split into 36 individual pens. Each pen holds 500 birds and inputs, such as feed, can be altered, allowing staff to capture and analyse key performance data.

Agriculture development manager Justin Coleman said the poultry development house had been built to the highest specification, including windows, enhanced biosecurity and biomass heating.

“Chicken is at the very heart of our business,” he said. “This investment allows us to lead the way in innovation, providing a precision-controlled environment to better monitor bird welfare, feed conversion and environmental impacts.”

The company is currently running a broiler expansion programme in Northern Ireland and Great Britain as part of its overall strategic plans to grow its fresh, locally farmed chicken supply.

More than 250 new poultry houses are expected to be under construction by the end of this year.