Strong growth in Pilgrim’s Europe’s poultry arm, Moy Park, has helped the group protect revenues during a “mixed” period for pork sales.
Group sales edged up from £4bn to £4.1bn in 2025, as 9% growth in Moy Park sales made up for a smaller drop in revenues at the former Kerry consumer meats business, Pilgrim’s Food Masters.
Moy Park accounted for just over half of group sales, at £2.1bn.
Pilgrim’s operating profit increased by £25.3m to £267.7m, supported by a bump in profitability at both Food Masters and Moy Park, though Pilgrim’s Pride profits fell slightly thanks to higher pork prices at the start of 2025.
Moy Park’s strong growth came despite a major restructuring of the company’s operations that cut 1,000 jobs.
Pilgrim’s said the financial year, which ran to 31 December 2025, represented a “resilient” performance, supported by “disciplined operational execution and continued investment” through its supply chain. Capex topped £100m over the year.
“FY2025 marked another year of strong progress for Pilgrim’s Europe as we continued to realise the benefits of operating as one integrated business,” said Pilgrim’s Europe president Ivan Siqueira.
“We delivered growth across our poultry operations, improved profitability in our value-added portfolio and continued investing in our agricultural, manufacturing and innovation capabilities to support long-term growth.”
While trading conditions remain “mixed” across parts of the sector, particularly within pork, Siqueira said the group’s integrated model and strong relationships with customers had left it “well positioned” for the future.
Pilgrim’s value-added and branded businesses launched more than 800 new products across retail, foodservice and other branded categories in the year, with Fridge Raiders snacks and Rollover food-to-go products outperforming their peers.
Yet the company warned that trading into 2026 and 2027 would remain “challenging” as consumer spend remained squeezed and pig prices faced more volatility.
In response, Pilgrim’s has said it will scale up its chicken farming capacity, try to boost British pork export value, and progress its acquisition of Walker’s deli & Sausage company from Samworth Brothers, subject to CMA approval.
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