New £100m bacon factory in Rochdale set to create 300 new jobs - BBC

A new £100m bacon factory planned to open in Greater Manchester next year is set to create 300 jobs.

Global food company Danish Crown has revealed plans to open a pork processing plant in Rochdale in 2023.

The facility will produce over 900 tonnes of bacon and gammon a week and will be 100% powered by renewable energy, the company said.

Danish Crown CEO Jais Valeur said the move was "the next step" in the company's commitment to the UK market.

"Danish Crown has a long heritage in the UK, bringing British consumers high quality bacon and pork products for over 135 years," he said.

"This investment forms the next step in our commitment to the UK market, bringing our customers a reliable, transparent supply of high-quality bacon to help meet demand, produced to high sustainability and welfare standards."

Rochdale Borough Councillor John Blundell, said it was a "good day" for the area which he said was facing an issue with unemployment.

"This new factory will offer residents the chance to make that leap back into the workforce," he said.

"Highly automated production equipment will be used along with the latest processing technology to cure, smoke, slice and pack bacon and gammon. This will see individuals become highly skilled in the work they do."

The new Danish Crown processing facility in Kingsway, Rochdale

The 30,500sq m (328,300sq ft) processing facility will built at the town's Kingsway business park and will be Danish Crown's first new UK factory for three years.

It also forms part of the company's wider strategy to deliver climate neutral meat products by 2050.

"The future of meat will be based on high quality products that are as sustainable as possible," Mr Valeur added.

"We know this is an ambition shared by many of our customers in the UK and with this new factory, we look forward to working more closely with them towards a more sustainable future for food production."

Chris Fletcher from Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the news highlighting the city region was "already home to a number of leading manufacturers in the food sector".

"This announcement shows that we continue to be a popular location for investment," he added.