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On Tuesday, Swedish chicken processing company Scandi Standard announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Manor Farm, the largest chicken processor in Ireland.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal Nigel Renaghan, IFA poultry chairman, said that as far as he can see, the deal is going to make no difference to farmers.
“Irrespective of who owns the company the demand for poultry meat is there. The company that bought it is looking to expand it.”
Renaghan said that the company was in the hands of the eighth generation of Cartons and that it’s sad in one sense to see them exiting the business.
“On the other hand the company that has bought it is financially strong and is large in the market.
“Yes, it’s a surprise to see them selling it but no one has bought it to lose money.”
The business
Manor Farm processes approximately 50% of all fresh chicken sold on the Irish retail market.
It has approximately 130 farmers contracted as growers and approximately 43 as breeders, with 850 people employed in total.
The family business was founded in 1775, and the current CEO is the eighth generation of the family.
Poultry market
Renaghan said that the poultry industry has been going well, that demand for poultry products is rising year-on-year.
“Poultry in general is steady as it goes, we never get the peaks or troughs that pig producers get.
“On a graph it’s steady, it never goes high and never goes really low.
“If you look at it compared to what dairy farmers are getting for milk, poultry farmers are getting about 28c/l continuously, we’ve no ups or downs, we’re stable.”
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