Moy Park increased operating profit by more than a third in 2025 despite processing fewer birds, as customer contract wins and operational changes helped improve performance.
The figures come from the consolidated accounts of Moy Park Limited, the UK-focused poultry and food business within Pilgrim’s Europe. They include French operations and are separate from the wider European group’s results.
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Moy Park’s turnover rose 9% to £2.11bn, while operating profit after restructuring expenses increased from £102.1m to £137.1m.
However, the number of birds processed fell from 256.2 million to 249.3 million, a reduction of 6.9 million, or 2.7%.
Directors attributed the improved profitability to operational improvements and contracts secured with key customers, alongside cost control and innovation in a competitive market.
Production changes
The accounts disclose a transition from seven-day to five-day production, with restructuring expenses including employee termination costs and the departure of some senior colleagues following an internal reorganisation. The filing does not identify which sites changed their production schedules.
Average monthly employment fell 11.7%, from 9,014 to 7,960. Almost all of the reduction was in the UK and Ireland category, where average headcount declined from 8,236 to 7,186.
Despite the smaller workforce, total staff costs increased 2% to £321.6m. Moy Park said the five-day production model would reduce wage costs going forward, although redundancy payments had increased employee costs relative to headcount in the short term.
Wider European performance
Separately, Pilgrim’s Europe reported 2025 revenue of £4.12bn, up from £4.07bn, and operating profit of £267.7m, compared with £242.4m a year earlier.
The wider business brings together Moy Park, Pilgrim’s UK and Pilgrim’s Food Masters, spanning poultry, pork and prepared foods. Capital expenditure across the business totalled £108.6m.
In its results announcement, Pilgrim’s Europe highlighted poultry customer contract wins, including becoming the exclusive supplier of Waitrose’s Better Chicken Commitment own-brand chicken.
Commenting on the wider results, Pilgrim’s Europe president Ivan Siqueira said: “We delivered growth across our poultry operations, improved profitability in our value-added portfolio and continued investing in our agricultural, manufacturing and innovation capabilities to support long-term growth.”
Looking ahead, the group said its poultry and meals businesses had recorded sales and volume growth in the first half of 2026.
Expanding poultry farming capacity remained among its priorities, although it warned of continued pressure on consumer spending and volatility in agricultural commodity markets.
