Now part of the Karro group, Cookstown is the largest single pig processing plant in the UK and Ireland, with 1.2 million pigs processed annually for domestic and international markets throughout Europe, Asia, the USA and Africa. Cookstown is one of largest employers in Mid-Ulster and is a major supporter of Northern Irish (and Republic of Ireland) agriculture.
Karro Cookstown is a complete pork processing operation and currently has the largest pork slaughter throughput of any single facility in the UK or Ireland. Operating to the highest standards, the company holds British Retail Consortium (BRC), Bord Bia and BQAP accreditation as well as a United States Department of Agriculture licence.
In addition to slaughter facilities, the site hosts fully developed facilities for boning, bacon curing and slicing, sausage manufacture and pre-packed fresh pork production. Karro Cookstown’s customer base includes Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury and Dunnes as well as local multiples within Northern Ireland. The company also sells products under the Cookstown brand label in the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland markets.
Synonymous with legendary sausages and bacon, gammon joints and sliced ham, Cookstown was established in 1937 and employ 880 people. Supporting the local agricultural community across the island, all meat is sourced from Irish farmers from both sides of the border, with whom they work closely and in many cases have done so for generations.
High quality is at the heart of everything Cookstown do. To this end, they work closely with The Ulster Pork & Bacon Forum and Bord Bia to ensure that they highest standards continue to be met.
The Cookstown brand of sizzling sausages was famously marketed by football icon George Best in the 1970s, a marketing campaign which put the product very much on the international map.
Since 2013, Cookstown has been part of the Karro Food Group, supplies fresh pork, bacon and ham to retail, foodservice and manufacturing customers across Ireland and the UK. Karro operates through integrated farming, slaughter and processing operations from eight sites in the UK and Ireland, processing circa 45,000 pigs each week for the major supermarket and wholesale markets.
Of the eight sites run by Karro, Cookstown is the main slaughter site and neither their brand nor identity have been affected by the change in ownership.
Karro embarked on a £10m capital investment programme last year, which saw £8m spent on its Cookstown facility, including a £6.5m investment in new chilling and processing technology. Thee investment has been made largely to help expand the brand further into the Republic of Ireland market.
They breed their own pigs as well as sourcing their award-winning meat from local farmers, many of whom have worked alongside them for three generations. Karro process approximately 45,000 pigs each week for delivery to the UK’s major supermarkets and wholesale food suppliers’ markets, all with full supply chain visibility. Their pork is eaten by millions of consumers every year, and is stocked across the country by leading retailers.
Karro Food Group’s headquarters are located in Malton, North Yorkshire, with around 3,000 people employed across their national food production locations.
Karro have an accreditation in export markets globally and this is a key focus for their business strategy. Their international business is managed centrally through head office by a dedicated export team. As they operate through integrated farming, slaughter and processing operations they have full supply chain visibility, which gives customers full confidence that products are produced to higher animal welfare standards and also highlights the fact that Karro Cookstown have the highest food safety standards in Europe.
Cookstown has been around for eight decades and continues to innovate and lead the way. Earlier this year, as part of their drive to deliver sweeping improvements across the board, they launched Bacon Delights, a lean ready-to-eat bacon product which can be microwaved in two minutes. Healthy and convenient; a shape of things to come, perhaps.
Cookstown Northern Ireland
70 Molesworth Road,
Cookstown,
County Tyrone
BT80 8PJ.
Cookstown Ireland
Level 2,
The Osprey Business Campus,
Devoy Quarter,
Naas,
County Kildare.
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 4, April/May 2016
