Cranswick highlights wider contribution of pork production, as Pilgrim’s delicers financial update

Cranswick has published a report outling the wider contribution it makes the UK economy, employment, food security and the environment, while Pilgrim’s Europe has delivered a positive financial update.

The report, ‘Where Great Food Comes From‘, draws on research and analysis carried out by Oxford Economics, setting out how, to the end of the 2025-26 financial year, Cranswick:

• Contributed £3.3 billion to UK GDP, including over £1bn GDP in Yorkshire and the Humber;
• Directly employs over 16,500 people and supports 47,600 jobs outside London – including 9,000 across the East of England and 17,650 across Yorkshire and the Humber;
• Helped generate £850 million of UK tax contributions – enough to pay for a new hospital every year;
• Employs over 1,250 young people under 25, including over 300 apprentices; and
• Aims to reinvest 50% of our EBITDA back into the UK, and in the last five years we have invested over £570 million into its operations.

Farm and food benefits

The Hull-based business, created in East Yorkshire in 1975, spends more than £500 million each year with more than 900 farmers across the UK.

It currently produces around 20% of British pigs and processes more than 32% of British pork. It also produces more than 7% of the UK’s chicken and purchases 11,500 tonnes of British grain per week.

The report highlights Cranswick’s contribution to food security and the provision of healtthy diets through sustainably-produced food.

It notes that Britain currently imports more than a third of the food it consumes each year, including half of the pork consumed, pointing out that 96% of the British pork it produces is for UK consumers.

It sets out the health benefits which are associated with pork and chicken, highlighting analysis by AHDB showing that shopping baskets that contain red meat or chicken almost twice as likely to contain fruit or vegetables.

“A protein rich plate, with the largest portion of lean meat, delivered the greatest nutrient and calorie density whilst providing double the protein of the Eatwell Guide and still providing around a third of the recommended fibre intake,” the report said.

The report also highlights the welfare and environmental standards associated with the company’s food production.

Cranswick CEO Adam Couch said: “Today, our products are available in most major supermarkets, helping consumers access high-quality British food that is traceable, nutritious, responsibly produced and affordable. One of the great strengths of the UK food system is the strong supply of food produced right here in the UK.

“This matters for many reasons, and one of the biggest is the lower environmental impact of sourcing meat here in the UK. We have produced this report to show the role Cranswick plays in this food system, and to contribute to a national discussion about the future of food.”

More HERE.

Pilgrim’s profits

Pilgrim’s Europe has published a financial showing that in the 2025 financial year, its revenue increased to £4.12 billion in the 2025 financial year from £4.07bn in 2024, while operating profit increased to £267.7 million from £242.4m in 2024.

Operating profit margin, before the impact of restructuring costs, remained ‘resilient’ at 6.5%, up from 6% in 2024, reflecting ‘ongoing investment across the business and changes in portfolio mix’.

The company said the performance was supported by growth in poultry, ‘disciplined operational execution’, and continued investment, £108.6 over the period, in the group’s manufacturing, farming and supply chain capabilities.

The Pork business ‘continued to make strategic progress despite softer market conditions during the second half of the year’.

However, the company noted that, into the current financial year, the external environment ‘remains challenging’, with ongoing pressure on consumer spending and continued volatility in agricultural commodity markets.

“Within pork, the EU-UK pig price differential continues to influence competitiveness, pricing and raw material availability,” it said.

Nonetheless, it said it has delivered a ‘resilient performance’ in the first half of the 2026, with sales and volume growth across poultry and meals.

Looking ahead, Pilgrim’s said it remains focused on executing its strategic priorities, including increasing British pork export value and ‘optimising pig procurement’.

More HERE.