Moy Park
Moy Park is a Northern Ireland-based poultry producer and food business supplying retail, foodservice and branded markets across the British Isles and parts of continental Europe.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Moy Park is a major poultry and prepared-foods business headquartered in Northern Ireland. Founded in 1943 in Moygashel near Dungannon, the company developed from a local agricultural and food-processing operation into one of the United Kingdom's largest food companies. It remains associated with Northern Ireland through its production sites, employment base and long-running presence in Dungannon, while operating across the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, France and the Netherlands. The company's core activity is the production and processing of chicken and other poultry products. Its portfolio covers fresh poultry, cooked and ready-to-eat foods, breaded products, frozen poultry, foodservice products and selected adjacent food categories. Moy Park sells through major supermarkets, including Asda, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Ocado, and supplies restaurant and foodservice customers such as McDonald's and Burger King. Its business therefore combines consumer-facing branded products with private-label manufacturing and large-scale institutional supply. Moy Park has expanded through investment in production capacity and through a house of related brands and businesses. Known labels and divisions associated with the company include Moy Park Chicken, O'Kane, Castle Lea, Moy Park Foodservice, Kitchen Range Foods, Albert Van Zoonen, Orléans and McLarnon Feeds. These activities extend beyond whole and portioned poultry into breaded and ready-to-eat foods, frozen products, desserts, meat-free and gluten-free foods, snack products, meat processing and animal feeds. Ownership has changed several times. Brazilian food processor Marfrig sold Moy Park to fellow Brazilian company JBS S.A. in September 2015 in a transaction reported at almost £1 billion. JBS subsequently sold the business to Pilgrim's Pride in September 2017 for approximately £1 billion; JBS was reported to own 79 percent of Pilgrim's Pride at that time. Moy Park consequently became part of the Pilgrim's Pride and wider JBS poultry group rather than an independently listed company. The business announced substantial capital investment after the 2015 ownership change. A £20 million program at Dungannon was intended to raise output to 2.3 million birds per week, while a further £4 million investment at Seagoe in Craigavon was announced in 2016 to expand cooked-chicken production. The company has also been economically significant in Northern Ireland and has been described as the region's largest employer, with thousands of employees across Northern Ireland, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. Moy Park has played a visible role in debates over labour mobility and Brexit. Before the 2016 referendum, chief executive Janet McCollum publicly supported continued United Kingdom membership of the European Union, citing the importance of access to European workers; the company had employed more than 1,000 workers from countries including Lithuania, Poland and Portugal at Northern Irish facilities. Following the referendum result, Moy Park announced plans to move its headquarters to the Republic of Ireland, although its manufacturing and employment footprint continued to span multiple territories. The company has also faced sustained scrutiny over animal-welfare practices. Animal Equality UK, the Dispatches television programme and later activists released or reported undercover material alleging severe injuries, overcrowding, dead birds and inadequate care at farms associated with Moy Park. In 2022, concerns were also raised about poultry deaths during extreme heat in the United Kingdom. These allegations generated reputational and regulatory pressure, while the company and relevant authorities remained responsible for addressing the specific findings. Moy Park's current identity is therefore that of a large, vertically integrated poultry and prepared-food producer whose scale, ownership, employment role and supply relationships are balanced by c…
History
Moy Park was established in 1943 in Moygashel, near Dungannon in Northern Ireland. The company retained a factory in Dungannon, and the site became part of the industrial and employment base associated with the business. Over time, Moy Park developed into a large poultry producer serving both domestic and international customers. Its expansion has been based on integrated poultry production and processing, encompassing fresh chicken, cooked products, breaded foods, ready-to-eat ranges and frozen products. The company also built a broader portfolio through associated brands and businesses, including O'Kane, Castle Lea, Kitchen Range Foods, Albert Van Zoonen, Orléans and McLarnon Feeds. Its customer base includes major United Kingdom supermarkets and prominent fast-food and foodservice operators. Moy Park changed Brazilian ownership in September 2015, when Marfrig sold it to JBS S.A. for a reported amount close to £1 billion. After the acquisition, Moy Park announced investment in its Northern Irish manufacturing network. The Dungannon program was valued at £20 million and was designed to raise weekly output to 2.3 million birds. In March 2016, the company announced a further £4 million investment at Seagoe in Craigavon to increase cooked-chicken capacity. The company's scale made it an important employer in Northern Ireland and across its operating territories. Its workforce included thousands of employees in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, along with staff in France, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. Labour supply became a prominent issue before and after the 2016 referendum on European Union membership. Chief executive Janet McCollum argued before the referendum that the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union, partly because the company relied on freedom of movement to recruit workers from countries such as Lithuania, Poland and Portugal. After the vote to leave, Moy Park announced plans to move its headquarters to the Republic of Ireland. In September 2017, JBS sold Moy Park to Pilgrim's Pride for approximately £1 billion. Because JBS held a controlling stake in Pilgrim's Pride at the time, the transaction kept Moy Park within the wider JBS corporate sphere while changing its immediate parent. The company continued to operate as a major poultry and prepared-food supplier in the United Kingdom and neighbouring European markets. From 2019 onward, Moy Park received significant negative attention over alleged animal-welfare failures. Animal Equality UK reported undercover observations at three Lincolnshire farms, describing carcasses left on farms, serious leg injuries and birds unable to stand. A subsequent Dispatches investigation in 2021 examined the same site and reported severe injuries, deaths and culling practices involving chicks considered lame or too small. In 2022, additional activist footage was reported to show overcrowding and dead birds at a farm operated by Moy Park. During the United Kingdom heatwave that year, whistle-blowers also alleged that poultry died from heat exhaustion in operations including those linked to Moy Park. The allegations prompted public and regulatory concern and became a major reputational issue for the company.
- 2017
Acquired by Pilgrim's Pride
[1]JBS sold Moy Park to Pilgrim's Pride for a reported amount of approximately £1 billion.
- 2016
Seagoe expansion announced
[1]The company announced a £4 million investment at Seagoe in Craigavon for cooked-chicken production.
- 2015
Acquired by JBS
[1]Marfrig sold Moy Park to JBS S.A. in a transaction reported at almost £1 billion.
- 2015
Dungannon capacity investment announced
[1]Moy Park announced a £20 million investment to expand its Dungannon facility and increase production capacity.
- 1943
Company founded near Dungannon
[1]Moy Park was founded in Moygashel near Dungannon, Northern Ireland.
Products and positioning
A large-scale poultry and prepared-food supplier combining consumer brands, private-label manufacturing and foodservice distribution, with a strong Northern Irish production heritage.
Fresh poultry
Moy Park Chicken
The core Moy Park range covers branded chicken products sold through retail and foodservice channels. It represents the company's principal consumer-facing poultry identity and includes fresh and prepared chicken offerings.
Breaded and ready-to-eat foods
O'Kane
O'Kane is associated with breaded and ready-to-eat food products within Moy Park's broader prepared-food portfolio. The range supports retail and convenience-oriented consumption formats.
Ready-to-eat foods
Castle Lea
Castle Lea is a Moy Park-associated ready-to-eat foods brand. It forms part of the company's processed-food activity beyond primary fresh poultry.
Frozen poultry
Moy Park Foodservice
Moy Park Foodservice supplies frozen poultry products to professional customers. The division reflects the company's role as an ingredient, catering and foodservice supplier in addition to its supermarket business.
Frozen and special-diet foods
Kitchen Range Foods
Kitchen Range Foods is associated with frozen desserts, meat-free products and gluten-free foods, giving Moy Park exposure to food categories outside conventional poultry.
Snack products
Albert Van Zoonen
Albert Van Zoonen is an associated snack-products business within the wider Moy Park portfolio.
Meat processing
Orléans
Orléans represents an associated meat-processing activity in the company's wider food manufacturing structure.
Animal feed
McLarnon Feeds
McLarnon Feeds is associated with animal-feed production, extending the business into an upstream agricultural supply category.
Controversies
2022
Further undercover footage and heatwave allegations
Activist footage was reported to show overcrowding and dead birds, while whistle-blowers alleged poultry deaths from heat exhaustion during the United Kingdom heatwave. Government officials expressed concern and indicated that the wider mortality issue was investigated.
2022
Moy Park and Victor Foster Poultry Services fined over workplace safety offences
Moy Park Limited and Victor Foster Poultry Services Limited pleaded guilty to health and safety offences after a workplace incident that caused an employee life-changing injuries. The companies were fined £125,000 and £18,000, respectively. An HSENI investigation found failures to ensure safe working conditions.
2021
Dispatches undercover investigation
The Dispatches programme reported severe injuries, deaths and alleged culling practices involving chicks at a site previously investigated by Animal Equality.
2019
Animal Equality investigation
Animal Equality UK reported alleged severe welfare problems at three Moy Park-linked farms in Lincolnshire, including dead birds and chickens with serious leg injuries.
Brand decisions
2017
Sale to Pilgrim's PrideM&ABackground
JBS reorganised its poultry holdings after acquiring Moy Park two years earlier.
Action taken
JBS sold Moy Park to Pilgrim's Pride.
Aftermath
Moy Park became part of Pilgrim's Pride while remaining within the wider JBS corporate sphere through JBS's ownership of Pilgrim's Pride.
Reported transaction value. Approximately £1 billion (September 2017)
2016
Seagoe cooked-chicken investmentStrategyBackground
Moy Park aimed to expand its value-added cooked poultry capacity.
Action taken
The company announced a £4 million investment at Seagoe in Craigavon.
Aftermath
The project was intended to increase production of cooked chicken.
Announced investment. £4 million (March 2016)
2016
Proposed headquarters move after BrexitStrategyBackground
Moy Park relied on labour mobility within the European Union and employed workers from several EU member states.
Action taken
After the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, the company announced plans to move its headquarters to the Republic of Ireland.
Aftermath
The announcement highlighted the operational and labour-market implications of Brexit for the Northern Ireland food industry.
2015
JBS acquisition of Moy ParkM&ABackground
Moy Park was sold by Marfrig during a period of consolidation among large international poultry and food-processing companies.
Action taken
JBS acquired Moy Park in a transaction reported at almost £1 billion.
Aftermath
Moy Park remained a major Northern Irish employer and announced further investment in its production network.
Reported transaction value. Almost £1 billion (September 2015)
2015
Dungannon production expansionStrategyBackground
The company sought to increase output at its long-established Dungannon facility.
Action taken
Moy Park announced a £20 million investment designed to raise production to 2.3 million birds per week.
Aftermath
The investment reinforced Dungannon's role in the company's Northern Irish manufacturing network.
Announced investment. £20 million (Late 2015)
Recent events
Reported
Moy Park and Victor Foster Poultry Services fined over workplace safety offences[2]
Following a workplace incident that caused an employee life-changing injuries, Moy Park Limited and Victor Foster Poultry Services Limited pleaded guilty to health and safety offences and were fined £125,000 and £18,000, respectively. The HSENI investigation found failures to ensure safe working conditions.
Sources2 sources
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