Farmers up-scale capacity to supply poultry firm’s £1.6m expansion

Two East Yorkshire farmers which supply a chicken specialist have invested significantly in new capacity to keep pace with Soanes’ expansion plans.

In 2018, Driffield-based Soanes, invested in a £1.6m poultry factory extension project that will increase capacity by 20% and create 15 new jobs.

As a result, two of Soanes’ contracted growers in Hull and Driffield have invested in new buildings that will increase their capacity by 25% and 40% respectively to ensure supply as Soanes enters the next phase of its business growth.

Soanes Poultry’s general manager, Nigel Upson said: “The farms upgrade project goes hand in hand with our plans to improve infrastructure, increase whole bird processing and expand our portioning capacity in response to customer needs.”

The factory expansion project is part funded by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development with a £583,000 grant secured by Westley Consulting.

Soanes Poultry is a family owned business that has been rearing and preparing chicken for over 70 years. It employs over 100 people and rears five million chickens a year on its Yorkshire farms and sells its chicken to butchers and independent retailers in Yorkshire and to wholesalers nationwide.