RANDERS, DENMARK — European pork processor Danish Crown announced it is investing more than £100 million ($105 million) in a new processing facility in Rochdale, United Kingdom.

The new 30,500-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin production in the second half of 2023. Once operational, it will create around 300 jobs, producing 900 tonnes of bacon and gammon per week.

Fully powered by renewable energy, the site will support Danish Crown’s 2050 climate neutral production goal. The company said heat recovery from the plant’s utility systems will supplement conventional heating sources, and ammonia will be used as a refrigerant. Bacon offcuts will be used in other products such as sausages to reduce food waste. To minimize packaging waste, the company will use a circular packaging system for pork deliveries to the site. 

“Danish Crown has a long heritage in the UK, bringing British consumers high quality bacon and pork products for over 135 years,” said Jais Valeur, chief executive officer at Danish Crown. “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. The future of meat will be based on high quality products that are as sustainable as possible. 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.”

Danish Crown has committed to providing customers with a report on its carbon footprint for transparency.

Since 1887, Danish Crown has been exporting to the United Kingdom, and its new plant will be the company’s first production facility in the United Kingdom since Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. acquired Danish Crown’s former subsidiary, Tulip Ltd.