The investment will introduce new robotic cells to create a fully automated process that will increase the capacity of the site by a third to 2.4 million birds a week. Currently, the site processes 1.8 million birds per week for a number of major retailers.

The company says the investment will improve animal welfare, and comes after a recent £10 million investment to reduce levels of Campylobacter, a dangerous type of bacteria that causes food poisoning.

Dan Whillock, 2 Sisters Scunthorpe general manager, added: “The whole team is delighted that Scunthorpe has been selected for such a major investment, the biggest since the site was built in 1988.”