A THIRSK-based free range and organic egg producer has begun a two-year, £1m investment plan.

Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs is concentrating on extending and re-equipping its on-farm pack-house at Village Farm, Catton, to British Retail Consortium higher level certification.

Used exclusively for processing its own organic and free range eggs, the 40m x 23m pack-house is now equipped with a new £300,000 Diamond grading line and related packaging equipment to handle a throughput of up to 350,000 dozen eggs a month - 20pc up on last year.

In addition, a £250,000 investment at the company's 24,000-bird organic farm near Ripon includes new mobile laying and rearing houses to allow full organic management of the birds, from day-old chicks to the end of the laying period.

Total investment over a two-year period will exceed £1m, aided by a 30pc Defra processing and marketing grant.

"We set out to have one of the most modern pack-houses in the UK to continue the high levels of product and service that we put in to producing our eggs," said Adrian Potter, sales and marketing director, in announcing the completion of the first phase of the plan.

The family-owned company delivers directly to selected supermarkets in Yorkshire and to quality wholesale, catering and retail outlets further afield.