Silver Hill Duck has created 50 new jobs as it moves to expand its operations and increase production from its current 80,000 to 120,000 ducks per week.

The €30m expansion at its Emyvale site in Co Monaghan will see the duck meat producer rear and finish over 6.2m ducks per year.

The move comes following planning permission granted by Monaghan County Council and approval by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the company’s new drip irrigation system.

Silver Hill Duck managing director Micheál Briody.

Silver Hill Duck first commenced operations in Emyvale in 1962, starting with just six ducks. Since then, it has developed its own unique duck breed, supplying huge volumes of duck to international markets.

Expansion

The latest expansion by the company at Emyvale will see it employ some 270 people from the surrounding hinterland.

Costing €30m, the 5,680 square metre new facility will allow the company to significantly increase its processing capacity, from the current 80,000 to 120,000 ducks per week.

A new pet food processing plant is also being developed as part of the expansion and the existing plant will also be modernised.

Notification to grant planning permission was received from Monaghan County Council on 15 March 2023. This followed the approval of the expansion’s drip irrigation system by the EPA on 10 March.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue supporting Silver Hill Duck at a trade fair in Singapore last year.

Subject to the completion of the planning process, construction will begin this summer and it is expected to be completed and the new plant operational by the end of 2024.

Drip irrigation system

The drip irrigation system installation complies with EU water quality directives, following the successful completion of a trial piloted from August 2021 to January 2023.

The system will ensure that all water used in duck production in Emyvale is recycled, cleaned and dispersed in an environmentally sustainable manner, with no negative impact on any local water courses or any adverse impact on the local environment.

Silver Hill Duck is found in over 350 high-end outlets in Singapore alone.

In addition, Silver Hill Duck says its expansion will create significant direct and indirect employment during construction and longer term through the expansion of its contract grower model that offers farmers, both north and south of the border, the opportunity to generate income from duck rearing.

Silver Hill Duck managing director Micheál Briody said the expansion to create capacity for increased production has been planned for a number of years.

“It means that the premium Silver Hill product we have developed over many years and established a worldwide reputation for can continue to be prepared here in Emyvale, providing local jobs and enhancing Ireland’s reputation as a top-quality food producer,” he said.

Product

Silver Hill Duck has supplied Peking duck to Chinese and Asian restaurants in Ireland and the UK for nearly 40 years.

The Monaghan ducks’ flavour has seen it ironically become the favourite of chefs in London’s China town - meaning the well-known ‘London duck’ is not quite from London at all.

Silver Hill Duck continues to drive exports in Asia and the Middle East. In Singapore, it is known as the "mother of all duck".

The product’s reach continues to expand, with new markets developing, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.

This export growth has seen chefs in Singapore christen Silver Hill Duck’s unique breed of duck as the ‘mother of all duck’ or the ‘wagyu of duck’.

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