Tributes to Dungannon man Maurice Buchanan, who founded major poultry business in East Anglia, Gressingham Foods

He and his wife Miriam moved to the area from Northern Ireland with their two sons in 1971, where they established a chicken farm.

He started farming ducks in the late 1980s and founded Gressingham Foods in 1989 which now employs 750 people and is now a major supplier of ducks across the UK.

A family notice said he was the beloved husband of Miriam (nee Liddle), father of William and Geoff, father-in-law of Becky and Ali and grandchildren Abi, James, Millie, Oliver, Olivia, Maddy and Charlie.

His son William paid tribute to his father, and said he inspired both him and his brother.

“Dad founded Gressingham Foods in 1989 after moving from farming chickens to ducks in the late eighties" he said.

“Through his leadership and innovation the business became established in the retail and wholesale markets, and Gressingham Foods is now the major supplier of ducks in the UK.

"He was a great inspiration to my brother and I and he will be missed by all those that knew him,” he told the East Anglian Times.

He was described as a man of "great Christian faith who will be missed by all who knew him".

His wife Miriam described her husband as "humble". Outside of the business, she said, he was a passionate Ipswich Town Football Club fan and supported local churches at Charsfield, Wickham Market, Hasketon and St John's as well as helping the Boys' Brigade at Hasketon.

He was also involved in Gideon's International, which distributes bibles to schools, hotels and other institutions, she told the Ip[swich Star.

Explaining the rationale for his move to England, a family spokeswoman told the News Letter that Maurice was involved in poultry production in Northern Ireland but thought the market in England was more extensive.

"He knew that the site at Debach, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, had planning permission for poultry sheds, so it seemed to him to be too good an opportunity to miss and he was keen to make a new start,” he said.

Maurice’s sons William and Geoff succeed him as Group Directors.

According to the Ipswich Star, even up to last year and well into his 80s, Mr Buchanan was still coming to family board meetings.

The Gressingham website said the story of the family business began in 1971 when they started their farm in Debach, Suffolk.

Maurice built two sheds by hand and started farming chickens, but they soon realised they wanted to try something different.

They got in contact with a small-scale duck farmer in the Lake District, who had begun to develop a new, tasty breed of duck – a cross between the succulent Pekin duck and the flavoursome Wild Mallard.

In 1989, the first Gressingham Ducks arrived at the family farm in Debach – 200 ducklings by train.

“Over the following two years, they perfected the breed and the remarkable Gressingham Duck was born,” it said.

Fast-forward a couple of years and sons Geoff and William Buchanan joined the family business, having studied agriculture and worked elsewhere in the sector before settling down in Suffolk. They are still in charge of the family farm today.

Today the business has a reported turnover of £170m a year, employs 750 people and provides a useful diversification for 30 local contract farmers.

There will be a private family funeral followed by a service of thanksgiving and celebration at Easton Grange, Kettleburgh Road, Easton, Suffolk IP13 0EL on Tuesday 16th April at 2pm.