Services firm to create more than 100 jobs this year

MORE than 100 jobs are to be created this year by the business services company, SouthWestern.

The company, which employs more than 450 in West Cork and also has an operation in Poland, was formerly part of the SWS group.

It provides business process services to the public and private sector in Ireland and internationally.

Agriculture Minister, Brendan Smith, who visited SouthWestern’s head offices in Clonakilty, Co Cork, yesterday, congratulated the company on winning a competitive tender from his department for the processing of bovine farm-to-farm movements and on-farm death notifications.

A total of 30 people are working full time on this scheme, one of a number of projects the company manages for the public service.

Mr Smith said his visit follows a removal of the requirement to maintain the on-farm herd register, known as the blue book, for farmers that use agfood.ie to register calves and to make movement notifications.

Within its first 10 days, more than 1,000 farmers had signed up to use the online herd register and over 500 movement requests had been processed.

SouthWestern chief executive Jim Costello said the firm takes on the operation of tech-based administrative services for businesses, which means lower costs and improved performance.

“We are delighted to have won this contract. Projects such as this provide an example of cooperation between the public and private sector to mutual benefit.”