Ministerial visit to Meade Farm now celebrating having 400 workers on the payroll

As the Meath Economic Development Strategy Roadmap is launched this month, one of the companies cited in it, Meade Farm Group, celebrated having 400 employees on their payroll for the first time.

Simon Coveney, TD, Minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, recently visited the family farm business near Slane to mark the occasion.

Founded by Philip Meade Sr over 40 years ago, the family farm business has grown from supplying potatoes to now growing potatoes, carrots, onions and brassicas, as well as packing the full range of fruit and vegetables. They work with a team of growers to fulfil their retail contracts. With the horticulture sector under pressure due to significant rises in input costs and weather challenges, their specialist packing services for the industry have given them added resilience. The recent addition of a food grade potato starch extraction plant that uses surplus potatoes has also diversified their business and is the only operation of its kind in Ireland and the UK.

Minister Coveney toured their state-of-of-the-art farm and food production facility before addressing the assembled employees:

“I could have spent hours actually, working through your systems, and looking at the technology that you’re constantly upgrading and testing; on a personal level I find it very interesting but on a political level you are one of the leaders in Ireland now. Ireland needs trailblazers to show how it’s done so others can follow and emulate the excellence that you’re creating here with your consumers and customers.

“Make no mistake, the most important element of the Irish economy is driven by family-owned SME’s building and growing their businesses in Ireland and expanding to international markets. If ever there was a good example of using our natural resources and looking after our soil, of building loyalty with suppliers across the country, of employing Irish and non-Irish nationals and building a competitive workforce here, this is it. It is as good an example as you will find anywhere of that ambition for quality, for growth, and for sustainability.”

Minister Coveney thanked the “international workforce - made up of some who maybe weren’t born in Ireland but have come here to build a life, to build a family and to get secure income” for their commitment, adding that the organization had been successful in terms of “building loyalty, with many of you here for many years; I hope you will stay here for many years to come.”

Eleanor Meade, Business Operations Manager, thanked Minister Coveney for visiting and said:

“We have grown thanks to the dedication of our team. Their hard work and the support of our stakeholders - our customers, the Departments of Agriculture and Enterprise, Meath Partnership, Bord Bia, to name a few - have enabled us to build a business that can offer multiple of career opportunities to locals. We have 77% of our staff living in the immediate area, and over 200 employees who have been with us over 5 years - a testament to the Meath County Council’s Place & Space to Thrive campaign.

"We are looking forward to engaging fully in the Meath Economic Development Strategy Roadmap; Agri-Innovation/Agri-Tech/Agri-Green, Food Innovation and Niche Food are areas that we too are committed to developing further. As we do so, we hope to continue to offer people the opportunity to have a good work/life balance while bringing quality produce and potato starch to our customers.”

They are currently looking to expand their workforce with agricultural operatives, quality technicians, fitters and electricians.