Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, has unveiled a €500,000 fund for the Lean Principles Programme for pig farmers.
The roll out of the scheme follows a pilot with a sample 29 pig producers, hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Bord Bia, Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland. The aim is to promote efficiency at pig producer farm level.
Minister Creed said: “The adoption of Lean business principles will assist pig farmers to further increase performance and competitiveness without compromising the animal welfare and food quality principles that are critical to the success of the sector.
“I would strongly encourage pig farmers to avail of this unique opportunity to work directly with Lean experts on their farms.”
The programme delivers on a key recommendation of the report of Pig Industry Stakeholder Group, chaired by Dr Seán Brady. Participants will work with Lean consultants chosen by Bord Bia and Teagasc.
Tara McCarthy, CEO, Bord Bia, said:
“I welcome this Lean programme. It complements Bord Bia’s Pigmeat Quality Assurance Scheme by helping farmers be more cost and process focused while continuing to meet market requirements and consumer demands.”