In October 2014 Hughes celebrated 50 years in the business - the company held a special event to mark 50 years in the business at Parkanaur forest park near Dungannon.
During the austerity years governmental cuts were the order of the day - one target in the headlights was the AFBI research institute in Loughgall.
The powers that be considered the mushroom and horticultural research unit to be redundant because “it has no customer base”.
A scientifically productive and industry focussed research unit invaluable to the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland and beyond - now gone of course.
