ALL 48 staff at a long-established chicken processing business in Cullybackey have been made redundant after the firm went into administration.
HK Dickey Poultry, set up in 1957 and run by the Dickey family from premises at Granagh Road, confirmed that it has appointed insolvency practitioners Gildernew & Co to advise the directors on their options.
Managing director Wesley Dickey blamed the failure on tightening margins and difficult trading conditions.
He said: “The company has been under continuous pressure for some time to keep competitive, to reduce prices while facing rising wage costs, employee pension costs and the ever-increasing cost of produce and ingredients as well as compliance with regulation.
“My parents Hugh and Sally Dickey have worked hard alongside me to expand and develop the business with a very loyal customer base, but regrettably the company is no longer viable and we have had to take this very difficult decision to close our doors.”
Thanking his staff, he added: “Our employees have been our greatest asset over the years and I wish to formally record our family’s appreciation to them.
"Their contribution to the business has been immense and it is with deep regret that we find ourselves in this situation where we cannot keep trading.”
HK Dickey's core competencies centred on processing not only the whole bird but also boneless and skinless low–fat products by hand, and last year it introduced a new retail brand to the market called Chook Chook.
