0:00:06 > 0:00:08In the UK, each and every day,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11we eat more than 2 million chickens.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17One in three comes from a single company in Northern Ireland.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Good afternoon, Moy Park?
0:00:21 > 0:00:26That's nearly 10,000 tonnes a week of fillets, nuggets,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28drumsticks and Kievs.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31We get through probably 8,000 or 9,000 cases.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Multiplied by 16, which is...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Whatever that is!
0:00:35 > 0:00:40From farm to fork, it's a business worth billions.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It costs 350,000.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Yeah, a nice little house in the South of France
0:00:44 > 0:00:47would have been a lot more useful, I think!
0:00:47 > 0:00:51This massive operation takes a small army of farmers,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55factory workers, technicians and tasters.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57It's southern fried.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- Southern fried's lovely! - SHE LAUGHS
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Meet the chicken people!
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Moy Park is officially Northern Ireland's largest private company.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32As well as the hundreds of farmers and factory workers,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35its workforce is a surprisingly mixed bag.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38We employ over 12,000 people.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That's across our 14 facilities
0:01:40 > 0:01:44in Northern Ireland, Ireland, England, Holland and France.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49We've got scientists, data analysts.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51We've got chefs.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54We've got drivers, we've got planners.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57I mean, every skill that you can imagine,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Moy Park uses within its business.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04We actually can't get enough great people,
0:02:04 > 0:02:06in that the business is moving so fast,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09this time next year there will be more skills
0:02:09 > 0:02:11that we probably don't know that we need.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15When it comes to dealing with incoming calls,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17it's people skills that count.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Something that receptionist Joan honed to perfection
0:02:20 > 0:02:23when she worked at the hatchery in Craigavon.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I worked in the office, but I also did relief on the switchboard there.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And it was one of the real old-time switchboards.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32You know, great big, tall switchboard
0:02:32 > 0:02:36with all these pegs that you pushed in and out.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38And if anybody annoyed you,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41you could push the plug in real hard and crack the ears off them.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It's 7.30 on the morning of the Balmoral Show.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54And at the Moy Park stand,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57the executive chefs are about to prepare 300 breakfasts.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Which means they need 300 clean plates.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Julia done them all last year.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05She told me she done all of the dishes last year.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- That right?- Yep.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08By myself. Completely.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Before the cooking starts in earnest, Aaron tries out a prototype.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Nice. That's just a cold version that we've done.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Just purely a dry run.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23It's just too sort of see how it looks.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25It's pretty on the plate, so, yeah.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27It's actually come together well.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Everything looks good to go.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Now, all the breakfast needs is a name.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Chef's Menu? Chef's Special Menu?
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Chef's Menu Balmoral 2015?
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Something like that?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- Jeez, it's not flowing. Seriously. - No, it's not happening today at all.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50We really should have thought this yesterday, shouldn't we?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52Clucking Big Breakfast!
0:03:52 > 0:03:54All right, Clucking Big Breakfast.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55THEY LAUGH
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Or, just put, "Chicken And Egg".
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Yeah?
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- What came first? - What came first!
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- So, Chicken And Egg?- Yeah.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Or, "What Came First?"
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Chicken And Egg Superfood Breakfast. Yeah?
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Make up your minds!
0:04:10 > 0:04:11THE LAUGH
0:04:11 > 0:04:13So, the snappily titled,
0:04:13 > 0:04:18What Came First? Chicken And Egg Chef's Superfood Clucking Big Breakfast is born.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Catchy.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25At the Hobson's farm,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Jeremy is checking on his latest crop of chickens,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31which arrived last week fresh from the hatchery.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39This batch is exactly seven days old.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Basically, the birds are pushed in on trolleys
0:04:44 > 0:04:46and you set them out on the floor.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49And you have to be fairly quick
0:04:49 > 0:04:54because the birds start to follow you right away.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57If I went in there to put out 23,000 birds by myself,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59they'd be all around me.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01I'd get trapped in the house.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04So, you have to be very quick.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Right...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Did you know that the official name for a fear of chickens
0:05:09 > 0:05:11is alektorophobia?
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Still, if the worst ever does happen, Jeremy can always rely
0:05:13 > 0:05:17on his wife, Caroline, for some unconditional support.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Here, do you want a cup of tea?
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Yes, please.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Will you pay me?
0:05:22 > 0:05:23SHE LAUGHS
0:05:27 > 0:05:30I've been farming here since I left school at 16.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Which is basically 30-odd years ago. - 75 years ago!
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Jeremy was my boyfriend when he was a smelly pig farmer
0:05:40 > 0:05:42way back when he was about 18.
0:05:42 > 0:05:48And then I went off to London and we both did our own thing.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54Then, when I came back home again, seven, eight years ago,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58we bumped into each other and found that we were both free and single.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Not young, but free and single anyway.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02And we got together again.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06It was just... Yeah, it was sort of meant to be in a... In a...
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Roundabout way.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Romantic sort of a way!
0:06:10 > 0:06:13I didn't even have a cat when I was in London.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17So, no, this is absolutely fantastic. It's a lovely change.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24They all expect us to put one of these poor pigs on a spit at some stage,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27but they're only here for part of the family.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29You don't eat your family.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31'Farming gives you freedom.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36'I mean, there is a lot of... Of worries, and things that are out of your control,'
0:06:36 > 0:06:40but it certainly is a lovely, free way of life.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- Isn't it?- Don't paint it too good. - Oh, no, it's very hard.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I have seven houses, and every house is looking good so far.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59But it only takes one mistake one day.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01You're working on that fine limit now.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Over the last year, Jeremy has invested heavily
0:07:07 > 0:07:11in a renewable biomass heating system for his chickens.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17The biomass heating has left my life an awful lot easier.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23And the quality of chicken coming off the farm is an awful lot better.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Biomass is cheaper to run
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and produces less moisture than the previous gas heating.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32For the chickens, that means cleaner air, dry litter,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and a drastic reduction in a condition called hock burn.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Hock burn's where they sit down on their knee,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43and this here would get burned on the litter if the litter's bad.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49And, basically, with the biomass heating system
0:07:49 > 0:07:53it's dry in the air all the time which in turn dries the litter.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56It's far better for the chickens and it's far better for me.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Jeremy might be happy,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03but the sheer cost of the upgrade has gone down less well at home.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08It cost 350,000 to do the seven chicken houses.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It's unbelievable.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It can never be good enough.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17They never seem to have enough. I think it's incredible actually.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18You could have done without it,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21but you just strive to put in that extra bit if you think
0:08:21 > 0:08:24it's going to enhance your farm, grow your chickens better.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Yeah, a nice little house in the South of France
0:08:27 > 0:08:29would have been a lot more useful, I think!
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Back at Moy Park's Dungannon plant,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41it's all in a day's work for receptionist Joan.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Good afternoon, Moy Park?
0:08:42 > 0:08:48The chicken that sits on my desk is a stress reliever.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50You'll notice mine's in good condition
0:08:50 > 0:08:52because I don't really get stressed.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I can't say the same for the rest of the chickens about here.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Some of them have no heads on them.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04One man who could probably use a stress-relieving chicken
0:09:04 > 0:09:07is Dungannon production manager Jim Trotter.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10I try to come in in a positive attitude every day.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Some days that lasts all day,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14other days it lasts two minutes.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15But you try to be positive.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21It's Jim's job to keep the production lines constantly in motion
0:09:21 > 0:09:24to process around 20,000 chickens every hour.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29This line will not stop at all today.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Or tonight. It'll be running up until 2.15 tonight.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Big orders, it's all hands to the pump.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36You just have to keep it pushed.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40All right?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Sometimes, though, despite Jim's best efforts,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47things still have a habit of grinding to a halt.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54We're having a mechanical problem with one of our ceiling heads.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58So we're having to remove that head and put another one in.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59How long's it been down for?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02That's been playing up since we put that head in this morning at 6.30.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07There's big pressure to make sure we deliver to the customer
0:10:07 > 0:10:08what they want, when they want it.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11You have to react. You can't say, "I'll look at that tomorrow."
0:10:11 > 0:10:13It has to be done today.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Has to be done straightaway. A decision has to be made.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20This time Jim's decision is to call in the experts.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Dungannon's crack team of maintenance engineers is always on hand,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33If the fault can't be fixed quickly,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36it could have serious consequences for the day's production.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Give her a wee shove out there, you're all right.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41While the machine is out of action
0:10:41 > 0:10:43trays of food from Jim's production lines
0:10:43 > 0:10:45are beginning to stack up.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49You're sitting here with 170 people on the floor,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51you're trying to make sure that they aren't losing.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Five minutes doesn't sound like a lot, but over 170, it is a lot.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57And that can be a lot of production
0:10:57 > 0:11:00that will put us under pressure later on in the evenings.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Every second counts.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Production is off, people standing in the line doing nothing,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08so we're under pressure to get the product out all the time.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Yep, all the time.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13After a few precious minutes, the machine is repaired,
0:11:13 > 0:11:18the line is back in business, and Jim is smiling again.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20There's a line I like to see, full.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22If this is full, we are making some money, so we are.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29By mid morning, the Balmoral show is also up and running.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33The crowds are pouring in. The sun is shining. And the stalls are buzzing.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Well...most of them.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Slow.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42We've had no customers,
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I'm just going to have to close the restaurant down.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49In fact... Ladies, can you go and drum up some trade out there?
0:11:49 > 0:11:50There's bound to be some passers-by.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We're getting to the stage, just invite anybody in.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It's early days. Early days, so... It'll kick off soon.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57The eggs are perfect.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The eggs are perfect, yes, Martin done all of them yesterday,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03so don't talk about his eggs, he gets very precious.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06It will kick off. It will kick off shortly.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19At certain farms like this one, belonging to Sinton Kerr,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22the birds are treated to the very best food and drink,
0:12:22 > 0:12:26their own private gardens, and top class accommodation.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35These are no ordinary birds.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38These are the Rolls-Royce of poultry.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Organic chickens.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45An organic farm is one where there are no artificial sprays,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48or additives, or fertiliser,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51or anything brought onto the farm or in contact with the chickens.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Which means they are as true to nature as you can get.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Sinton's hens enjoy more room and organic food.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04They live longer than any other table bird, and most importantly,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07they get to experience the great outdoors.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12The first few days they sort of stand and look out,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14take stock of what is happening,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17then as the time goes on, they just love to get out.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30You can see them picking and poking,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I don't know what they 're poking for,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36but that's their natural environment, to be outdoors,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39foraging, or ranging, as we call it.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Another little luxury that regular broiler hens can only dream of is,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45believe it or not, trees.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I mean, the chickens obviously do like cover.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51These trees provide them with some sort of shade from the sun,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54from the wind, from the rain, which they can shelter under.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Basically, I suppose, the chickens,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00it's bred into them to be cautious of predators,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02there's buzzards roundabout here
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and occasionally they come and fly over and call.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Whatever message they send to these birds,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10you see them flighting off, back to the house.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14As I have said many a time, if I wanted to come back as a chicken,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17I would certainly want to be a free-range chicken.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18I think it's a fairly good life.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Me and the chickens get along pretty well.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33At Moy Park's Craigavon plant it is Health & Well-Being Week.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Promoting all aspects of fitness, both physical and spiritual.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40A little bit of time away from the desk.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42No e-mails, and no phone. It's very welcome.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47This is a tough business at times.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49You know, we work long hours.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51You know, it is challenging.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54And one of the things we are particularly keen on is to ensure
0:14:54 > 0:14:56that our employees have awareness of their own health.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02So during the well-being week there will be certain initiatives
0:15:02 > 0:15:05whereby we will encourage them to look at their health,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07their exercise, their nutrition.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And I think just, you know, helping them to stand back
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and look at what they are doing,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and that they are taking care of themselves.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20- You're maybe talking about two stone.- Yes. At least! Three stone!
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Hold on till I give you this wee sheet!- Two stone!
0:15:24 > 0:15:28But in Craigavon's packing area, supervisors, Carla and Maria,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32have to decide how to proceed when one worker does come to them
0:15:32 > 0:15:34saying he is too ill to work.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36He says he is feeling dizzy.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38So first aid is having a look with him
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and just seeing what is the problem.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44And if he doesn't improve in five or ten minutes,
0:15:44 > 0:15:45we have to send him home.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49In Moy Park if they say we're sick, we have to try our best. Yes?
0:15:49 > 0:15:55- Are you OK to go alone? Don't drive. Are you driving?- Are you driving?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59- No, I'm getting a taxi.- Please. Call a cab. OK? All the best.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02So, we'll take Carlos to cover him.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07We are not doctors. So who am I to say, "You're not sick"?
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Because one day I could say, "No, you don't go home."
0:16:10 > 0:16:12And then, passed away on the floor, or collapse,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and then, I'm in trouble.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18For Carla, this is all a far cry
0:16:18 > 0:16:22from the line of work she had back in her home country of Portugal.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Before I started this job here, 12 years ago, I started a career,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31as I would like to call it, singing.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33David, why has the line stopped, do you know?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35People would ring me and ask me,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37"Would you mind singing a song for us?"
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I went to Portuguese TV shows and everything, and I won a few.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44I couldn't just stay with that job,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48because I would be sitting in the house waiting for phone calls.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52And I had a mortgage to pay, and other things to pay.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57Until me and my partner decided to go somewhere else.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03So this is Roger. He is a machine minder. But he is also my partner.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08How is our A-bar performing today?
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Better than yesterday. - Better than yesterday? OK.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- Would you like to start that? - OK, I'll start the belt for you.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I'd better go before he kills me!
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Today is Maria's last day at work for some time,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33for reasons that are becoming increasingly obvious.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37- Maria is about to...- Having my baby!
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Maria, like Carla, is originally from Portugal,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45but moved here when jobs became scarce at home.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49I'm very proud to be a manager in Moy Park,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51because we don't have a job at home.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56All of my family is at home. I miss home.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Yes. It is hard.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- SHE SOBS - Oh, my God.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Calm down!
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Maria and Carla are among a high number of workers from outside the UK
0:18:10 > 0:18:14for whom Moy Park is a vital source of income.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19I actually was here whenever we had
0:18:19 > 0:18:23the sort of first influx of foreign nationals working with us.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26They want to do well. They want to work hard.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I believe in their countries it' s hard to make a living
0:18:29 > 0:18:33and it's hard to get a good wage packet at the end of the day.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I have met people from parts of the world I didn't even know existed.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45We have people here from Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Romania,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48we have people from Turkey, people from East Timor,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51some fantastic people, I've made some very good friends
0:18:51 > 0:18:53I'd never have met, only at Moy Park.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Hello, how are you? Are you all right?
0:18:56 > 0:19:04Best friend. Carmen, Maria here, the line here is all friends.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05Three of four times a year,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08different groups of people will all be going out.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11You will have line 5 all heading off together.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14And that's seven or eight different nationalities.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15They'll all go out for a meal.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Have a night's craic and then talk about it for a week
0:19:18 > 0:19:20whenever they return.
0:19:20 > 0:19:26We are like family. We work, we joke, play, everybody happy.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30You're looking busy.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- You're looking...- Argh!
0:19:33 > 0:19:36We wouldn't have a business without them people
0:19:36 > 0:19:39because we didn't have the labour available to us
0:19:39 > 0:19:42within the country to come and make this business what it needed to be.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And without the foreign nationals coming
0:19:44 > 0:19:45we wouldn't have the business we have.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Back at Balmoral, it's almost midday
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and Aaron is still pitching hard to give away his first breakfast.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Are you going to have breakfast with us?
0:19:59 > 0:20:02What comes first, the chicken or the egg? It's a super food breakfast.
0:20:02 > 0:20:03- Yes.- So, see this, actually?
0:20:05 > 0:20:06So it's our Moy Park chicken
0:20:06 > 0:20:08and some super food elements around it.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11So we've got some avocado, cherry tomato compote,
0:20:11 > 0:20:12granola, topped with a poached egg.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- You want to sit down and have some? - Why not!- How many of you is there?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18- There's just two of us. - Right, we'll do two.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Success.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22But after such a slow start to the day,
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Aaron could really use some positive feedback.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28The pressure we're under here, I just...
0:20:30 > 0:20:32And the verdict?
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- Absolutely beautiful.- First class.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37A combination of chicken for breakfast
0:20:37 > 0:20:39is something you wouldn't think of,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42but that tied in with the poached eggs, it's perfect.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48Soon the chef's chickens are flying off the shelves.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50All the plates are coming back empty,
0:20:50 > 0:20:51which is a good sign, isn't it?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Much to Aaron's relief.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Yeah, it seems to be getting the thumbs up.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00What's not to like?
0:21:00 > 0:21:02That was breakfast done.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Think we done about 100 there. So really pleased that went.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06The feedback has been really good.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09We're going to move across to lunch now.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Today the Scullion family is getting ready to say goodbye
0:21:21 > 0:21:24to the breeding birds they have had for more than a year now.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28We are at the end of the crop,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31it will be four weeks now,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35until we get a new crop, which we have to wash and disinfect,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and get ready for the next crop coming in.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Yeah. There you are.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- Who's the fella? - Smile, you're on camera, Dad!
0:21:45 > 0:21:48I only smile when I'm getting money!
0:21:55 > 0:21:58The first job is to lift the feeders out of the way
0:21:58 > 0:22:02to make room for the contractors who actually remove the birds.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04That's all high enough there, that,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08so if anybody...hits their head on that there...
0:22:10 > 0:22:12..they are too big!
0:22:23 > 0:22:26To avoid stressing the chickens, the contractors close the doors
0:22:26 > 0:22:29and work in the dark, wearing red head torches.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36In there it's very dusty, very warm.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37We used to do that years ago.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39We used to have to catch our own hens.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Thank God for somebody else.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Those breeder hens will be sold on
0:22:48 > 0:22:51for people to process into soup, or pies.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53That meat would be a little bit tougher
0:22:53 > 0:22:55because the bird is that bit older.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57But where people are putting them into pies
0:22:57 > 0:22:59they will want a firmer structure of meat,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and so there's a really good market for that.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05And with the chickens on their way out,
0:23:05 > 0:23:09there's time to reflect on a year's worth of hard graft.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14The public don't understand how much work is involved in the henhouse.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18It's just not what people assume it to be.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22There's more to just the chicken being on the shelf.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Like, it's to get it to there.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29The hen has to lay the egg, the egg has to be fertilised,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31the egg has to go to hatchery,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35the chick is to be then kept alive the first day
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and then transferred to a new house.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41It has to be fed...
0:23:42 > 0:23:47..and then it has to be transferred then to processing.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51And then it's ready for packaging.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53And then it's onto a shelf, like.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59This is serious, serious work to put into it.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Of a total of more than 12,000 employees,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09around half work in Moy Park's Northern Ireland factories.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11It may not be everyone's cup of tea
0:24:11 > 0:24:14but for some it can lead to a long and successful career.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19I actually started off working in Moy Park as a student,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22before I had finished my degree, and I worked in the giblet line.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25And if anybody has worked in a chicken factory,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28the giblet line is not the most sexy of environments.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31And I remember going home that night to my mother and father,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33saying, "You know what?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35"I will never work in the chicken industry
0:24:35 > 0:24:37"when I graduate from Queen's."
0:24:44 > 0:24:48No, I've never worked in the factory. I don't think I could.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53I don't suit a hairnet, or wellingtons. I'm too vain!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I used to work in the Ballymena factory
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and I interviewed a young lad,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03he had been a jockey.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Very nice lad. Seemed very intelligent.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So we brought him down to start on the Monday morning.
0:25:09 > 0:25:1115 minutes later he went back, he said,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13"I can't work here, this is like prison."
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Yesterday we packed out 6,504.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Which was on target. Which was a green.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25On our giveaway, it was 0.69, which was on target, was a green.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27I was a cook before I came here.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30And I was very much used to moving about a lot, you know,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32from one end of the kitchen to another.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33And when I came here
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and I had to stand in one spot for eight hours a day,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39the first two months there was definitely a couple of times
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I may have been in the toilet, crying, thinking,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43"What am I doing here?"
0:25:44 > 0:25:46It isn't the environment for everyone.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Some people don't like touching meat.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51You know, so, it's not for everyone,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but most people that come here stay.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I am not going to say everyone is ecstatic and skips into work,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59but we don't have a big turnover of people.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08As if to prove the point,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11tonight is a very special date in the Moy Park calendar.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Armagh City Hotel.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18Welcome, everybody.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24The Long Service Awards are Moy Park's way of celebrating
0:26:24 > 0:26:28those employees who have reached a landmark year in their careers.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34OK, welcome to the Armagh City Hotel for the Long Service Awards.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37In a few moments I'm going to hand over to Janet McCollum,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40our chief executive, to have some opening remarks.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43This presentation is for people that have been here 25 years,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and myself and a few others, 40 years.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48I work in the hatchery.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51There 40 years, so there must be something about it.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I started in Moy Park 43 years ago.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06I will be here 27 years coming in March.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08I started at Moy Park in 1988.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11I started at Moy Park, I think it was 1979.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13No, 1989. I'm not that old.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17In total, here this evening,
0:27:17 > 0:27:22we have almost 1,000 years of service to Moy Park.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I have given 27 years of my life to chicken
0:27:30 > 0:27:32because I haven't been able to escape.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38It gets into your blood. And once it gets into your blood,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40I have to say, it's very difficult to escape.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I arrived at Moy Park 10 years ago, I've never looked back.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49It's probably the most enjoyable job I have ever done.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- Thank you very much.- See you. - Goodbye.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I wouldn't work anywhere else, to be honest with you,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57unless you're paying me £50,000 a year!
0:28:03 > 0:28:07It's a local company, more or less run by local people, and, I mean,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09if it wasn't for Moy Park,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12certainly, I wouldn't be in chicken production.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Rain or sleet, you're in here, you're nice and warm.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19You couldn't go wrong with it, like, you know?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21I mean, I will be 50 this year,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and it's probably the best time I have had in my life.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28People probably look at me like the chicken man,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I probably still haven't accepted being the chicken man,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33but after 27 years I guess I am.