The Northern Irish firm only moved into turkey this June after acquiring O'Kane Poultry's Ballymena processing plant, and the new 65,000 sq ft extension to the site will provide 150 new full-time jobs and 500 seasonal openings, as well as new opportunities for bird suppliers.

The new facility forms the centrepiece of a phased four-year £37 million investment project supported by regional development agency Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund.

Moy Park Ballymena executive director Tony O’Neill said: “Our business has been achieving significant growth year on year, and these facilities will allow us to produce and process fresh turkeys during an intensive seasonal window, comfortably meeting consumer demand locally and throughout the UK and Ireland.”

The Ballymena site supplies major food retailers including Marks & Spencer (the major customer for turkeys supplied by the new factory), Tesco, The Co-Operative and Dunnes Stores.