Avara Foods plans to invest around £10 million in next-generation technology and automation at its Telford poultry facility, including what it calls the “latest generation” of automated deboning technology, Food Manufacture reported on 6 October 2026. Avara says the equipment will increase production volumes and improve the overall efficiency of the site, according to the report.

The Telford site has been open since 1998 and underwent a multi-million-pound expansion and refurbishment in 2014. It specialises in portioning whole chickens and packing them for supermarket shelves, and can currently portion 1.75 million chickens a week, Food Manufacture said. Avara did not give a capacity figure for the site after the upgrade.

Avara said the technology will create skilled job opportunities for people working with and overseeing automation, the report added. It did not say how many roles will be created, and the report did not address whether existing roles on the line will change.

Part of a programme worth more than £100m

The Telford work sits within an investment plan that Avara announced on 16 September 2026: more than £100m over three years to strengthen its UK poultry operations, upgrade facilities and introduce next-generation technology across its supply chain, with more than £40m planned for this year. The September announcement referred to next-generation cutting capability and new automation but did not name sites. Food Manufacture’s 6 October report said the programme also covers upgrades at Brackley, Wednesbury and Hereford.

This is a major investment in the future of our business and in the resilience of the UK poultry supply chain that reflects confidence in our people, our facilities and the long-term future of UK poultry production.

Chris Hall, CEO, Avara Foods, 16 September 2026

From restructuring to reinvestment

The spending follows a turnaround. Avara, formed in 2018 as a joint venture between Cargill’s UK fresh poultry business and Faccenda, reported turnover of £1.3bn and an EBITDA loss of £1.9m for its financial year ending May 2025, which it described as a significant year on year improvement. The company said its turnaround plan, which started in 2024, focused on “fewer, better invested facilities” to optimise its operational footprint and improve efficiency and productivity.

In the September announcement Hall said: “Over the last three years we have completed a comprehensive restructuring of our business delivering improved financial performance.” He added that the plan meets growing consumer demand for affordable, locally sourced poultry.

Not disclosed: the supplier of the deboning equipment, the installation timetable, how the £10m splits between equipment and building work, the allocation of the £100m programme by site and the number of jobs created. Avara’s own newsroom did not carry a separate release on Telford when checked on 17 October, so the site-level figures here are as reported by Food Manufacture.

F&B Today’s reading

  • Analysis: Avara says the equipment will raise volumes and efficiency. If that comes without a matching rise in headcount, rival processors supplying the same retailers could find themselves compared against a lower cost base when contracts are next tendered.
  • Analysis: With Brackley, Wednesbury and Hereford also in the programme and more than £40m planned for this year, cutting, deboning and packing equipment suppliers can expect further work from Avara, although no site-level budgets have been published.
  • Analysis: Retail and foodservice buyers relying on Avara for portioned and boneless chicken should ask how the Telford installation will be phased, since line changes at a site of this volume can affect supply while new equipment is commissioned.