Monaghan's Agri-Food & Industrial Sector: A Complete Guide (2026)
County Monaghan's industrial and agri-food economy explained — Combilift, Monaghan Mushrooms, BioConnect, Moffett Automated Storage, Greenfield Foods, Silver Hill Foods, and the world-class manufacturing base built in rural Ireland.
From Combilift's 50,000m² factory floor to seven million eggs a week in Smithborough — County Monaghan's industrial and agri-food economy is one of the most impressive in rural Ireland, and most people have no idea.
For a broader look at the businesses shaping County Monaghan's economy, browse the industry and agriculture listings on the directory, or see our agri-tech and industrial business roundup.
Ask someone outside the county what they associate with Monaghan and you'll likely hear: GAA, drumlins, mushrooms. All correct. But the full picture of Monaghan's economy is something significantly more impressive. This is a county that is home to one of the world's largest forklift manufacturers, one of Ireland's most important egg packing operations, a fast-growing biotech innovation centre backed by Enterprise Ireland, and automated warehouse robots built in Clontibret and shipped to ten countries. A food production base that accounts for the majority of the county's indigenous employment. And a track record of building global businesses from rural Monaghan addresses that should make any serious observer sit up.
Combilift: Monaghan's Most Famous Manufacturer
There is no honest account of Monaghan's industrial economy that doesn't start with Combilift. Founded in 1998 by Martin McVicar and Robert Moffett — drawing on the engineering heritage of the Moffett family's decades-long presence in Clontibret — Combilift designs and manufactures multi-directional forklifts, straddle carriers, pedestrian stackers, and customised materials handling solutions for clients in over 85 countries worldwide.
Their Monaghan Town headquarters is one of the largest manufacturing facilities in Ireland — a 50,000 square metre factory floor on the edge of the county town where over 900 people work. Combilift is routinely cited in discussions of Ireland's most innovative manufacturers and is a consistent winner of enterprise and export awards. The fact that it is headquartered and largely manufactured in County Monaghan — not Dublin, not Cork — is a deliberate commitment by its founders to the place that shaped them.
Moffett Automated Storage: The Next Chapter from Clontibret
Founded in 2017 by Sam Moffett — grandson of Cecil Moffett, who established the original agricultural machinery business at Listroar in 1945 — Moffett Automated Storage designs, manufactures, and installs fully automated pallet storage and retrieval systems for clients across Ireland, the UK, and mainland Europe. With 65 employees, active projects in ten countries, and a newly opened headquarters at the original Listroar site, the company represents the latest chapter of a family engineering tradition stretching back over 70 years.
The technology is cutting-edge: proprietary-software-controlled robots moving pallets in three dimensions with energy savings of up to 50% per pallet in cold storage applications. As a High Potential Start-Up backed by Enterprise Ireland and a finalist for multiple enterprise awards, Moffett Automated Storage is one of the most watched companies in the Irish industrial sector right now — and it's in Clontibret.
BioConnect: Monaghan's Most Ambitious New Project
The most strategically significant piece of new infrastructure in Monaghan's economic landscape in 2026 is BioConnect — a purpose-built agri-food innovation and research centre located just outside Monaghan Town, backed by Enterprise Ireland and a consortium of the county's largest food companies: Monaghan Mushrooms, Lakeland Dairies, Manor Farm, and Silver Hill Foods.
BioConnect aims to develop new skills within the agri-food sector in the North East, attract science graduates and researchers back to Monaghan — biotechnologists, fermentation specialists, food scientists — who might otherwise head to Dublin or abroad, and provide the R&D infrastructure that Monaghan's existing food businesses need to stay competitive in an increasingly science-driven food industry.
Ronnie Wilson of Monaghan Mushrooms described the ambition clearly: "We want it to attract science graduates back to Monaghan, to undertake research, to understand the role biotechnology can play in the future of food." For graduates and researchers in food science, biotechnology, microbiology, or environmental science, BioConnect represents a genuinely interesting new employment destination — in County Monaghan.
Monaghan Mushrooms: A World Leader, Built Here
Monaghan Mushrooms is the county's most globally recognised agri-food business — and one of the largest mushroom producers in the world. Founded by Ronnie Wilson, the company now employs over 2,500 people across its operations, with a supply chain stretching across the island of Ireland and into the UK. From a first mushroom farm in a converted grain store, it has grown into an operation of remarkable scale while remaining headquartered in the county from which it takes its name.
Greenfield Foods: The Egg Capital of Ireland
Smithborough may not appear on many maps outside Monaghan, but it is the location of Ireland's largest egg packing centre. Greenfield Foods processes and distributes seven million eggs per week — sourced from 1.4 million birds across 74 local family-owned farms — through a fully modern grading, packing, and distribution operation. Free range, organic, corn-fed, and enriched colony ranges all pass through this facility under Bord Bia's Sustainable Egg Assurance Scheme before reaching shops across Ireland.
Lakeland Dairies, Manor Farm, Silver Hill Foods
County Monaghan's agri-food cluster extends well beyond mushrooms and eggs. Lakeland Dairies — a major dairy co-operative processing milk from thousands of farms across the north-east and midlands — has significant operations in the county. Manor Farm is one of Ireland's largest poultry processors. Silver Hill Foods in Emyvale produces the famous Silver Hill duck — a premium product supplied to Michelin-starred restaurants across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.
Between them, these four companies alone account for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in County Monaghan, and collectively anchor an agri-food supply chain of extraordinary depth and productivity for a county of this size.
Industrial Estates and Business Parks
For businesses looking to locate, expand, or establish in County Monaghan, the county's business park infrastructure is well developed:
NEXUS N2 Business Park, Carrickmacross — home to Activ8 Solar Energies and a range of growing businesses along the N2 corridor.
Lough Egish Business Park, Castleblayney — an established industrial and manufacturing cluster in south Monaghan.
M:TEK 1 & 2, Monaghan Town — the county's main enterprise hub, fully occupied with 65 tenant businesses employing approximately 650 people.
C:TEK 1 & 2, Carrickmacross — the south Monaghan equivalent, also fully occupied.
Clones Business and Technology Park — serving the west of the county with enterprise space and the incoming Digi Hub.
Emyvale Business Centre, Ballybay Food Hub, Newbliss Digi Hub — further points in the county-wide enterprise network managed by Enterprising Monaghan.
Browse the full Monaghan Business Directory →
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Monaghan known for in manufacturing? County Monaghan is home to Combilift (one of the world's leading forklift manufacturers, 900+ employees, exports to 85+ countries), Moffett Automated Storage (warehouse robotics, 65 employees, active in 10 countries), Monaghan Mushrooms (one of the world's largest mushroom producers, 2,500+ employees), and Greenfield Foods in Smithborough (Ireland's largest egg packing centre, 7 million eggs per week).
What is BioConnect Monaghan? BioConnect is a purpose-built agri-food innovation and research centre opening near Monaghan Town in 2026, backed by Enterprise Ireland and founded by Monaghan Mushrooms, Lakeland Dairies, Manor Farm, and Silver Hill Foods. Its goal is to attract food scientists, biotechnologists, and researchers to develop new capabilities in Monaghan's agri-food sector.
How many people does Combilift employ in Monaghan? Combilift employs over 900 people at its 50,000m² headquarters in Monaghan Town. Founded in 1998 by Martin McVicar and Robert Moffett, it exports multi-directional forklifts to clients in over 85 countries worldwide.
What is Silver Hill Foods? Silver Hill Foods, based in Emyvale, County Monaghan, produces the Silver Hill duck — a premium product supplied to Michelin-starred restaurants across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.
Where are the main business parks in County Monaghan? The main parks include M:TEK 1 & 2 in Monaghan Town (65 tenants, ~650 employees), C:TEK 1 & 2 in Carrickmacross, NEXUS N2 Business Park in Carrickmacross, Lough Egish Business Park in Castleblayney, and Clones Business and Technology Park — all managed by Enterprising Monaghan.
Last updated July 2026.