Northern Irish companies Finnebrogue and Karro Food Group have won a multi-million-pound UK contract to supply Asda with its entire range of Extra Special sausages and hot dogs.

The deal has created 60 jobs at Finnebrogue. It is the biggest Asda own-label contract won by any Northern Irish supplier, Invest Northern Ireland said. Some three million packs of sausages will be sold this summer from up to 400 stores.

The contract was “highly significant”, said Asda head of meat quality Jim Viggars. It was “testament to the skills of Northern Ireland’s farming community, the expertise of the local food-processing sector and the quality of the region’s raw materials”.