2 Sisters Food Group invests £45m in Scunthorpe poultry processing plant

UK-based food manufacturing company 2 Sisters Food Group plans to invest £45m in its poultry processing plant in Scunthorpe.

The investment will be used for upgrading the facility with the introduction of new robotic cells to create a fully automated process, which will increase the capacity of the site by a third to 2.4 million birds a week.

2 Sisters Scunthorpe general manager Dan Whillock said: “The whole team is delighted that Scunthorpe has been selected for such a major investment, the biggest since the site was built in 1988.

“It has been a huge boost to the workforce and is just reward for the hard work and dedication of our great people over the last 28 years.

“The project has taken many months of planning and our goal has always been to build a truly world-class facility, using the very latest technology to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare, bio security and product quality for our customers.”

The investment in this plant is said to improve animal welfare, quality and presentation of the finished product, as well as provide job security. The upgrade is part of company’s £150m poultry investment programme unveiled with the full year results.

A 2 Sisters spokesman said: “This investment is a clear demonstration of our commitment to Scunthorpe, making this key centre the world’s most advanced poultry processing plant. 2 Sisters is in the midst of a £150m programme to revolutionise how poultry is processed in the UK for the benefit of our customers and consumers in general.”

The company plans to spend £10m for the improvements in animal welfare that are part of this investment programme for reducing campylobacter levels in poultry, which have been praised by the Food Standards Agency and won the approval of major customers.