Moy Park creates 628 jobs in Northern Ireland

The food firm Moy Park has announced it is creating 628 jobs across its three Northern Ireland sites - in Dungannon, Craigavon and Ballymena.

The move is part of an investment package worth £170m.

The posts will be created over the next four years in various parts of the business, from food processing to management and financial services.

They will put an additional £10.5m in wages into the NI economy, meaning the salaries average out at £17,000.

Since 2008, Moy Park has been part of the Brazilian food company Marfrig and it supplies chicken products to supermarkets across Europe.

Last year it took over responsibilities for Marfrig's entire European operation.

Sergio Rial, chief executive of Marfrig Global Foods, said: "We are committed to growing our operations in Northern Ireland and this investment helps achieve that."

Invest NI are providing grant support of £9.5m.

Moy Park operates three sites in Northern Ireland, in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Craigavon, County Armagh and Ballymena, County Antrim

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: "We have been able to demonstrate to international investors like Marfrig that Northern Ireland is the right European location to successfully grow their business."

She said the new jobs included "high value" positions based in an innovation centre in Craigavon which will look at product development.

The new jobs will take Moy Park's workforce to more than 12,000.

Half of its employees work outside Northern Ireland at factories in England and continental Europe.

Last year, the firm had sales of £1.2bn.