The Irish Government has launched the €8.1m Meat Technology Ireland (MTI) programme, which offers a strategic research and innovation platform for the sheep and beef meat processing activities in the country.

The five-year research and innovation programme has been designed and developed by industry experts and is part of IBEC’s Meat Industry Ireland industry group visionary that was presented to Enterprise Ireland.

It was developed with the aim of creating a one-stop shop’ for meat processing research and technology.

Enterprise Ireland CEO Julie Sinnamon said: “Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to support Irish businesses to build scale and expand their reach into international markets and we are delighted to back the establishment of Meat Technology Ireland, which will directly support innovation in the agri-food sector and ultimately contribute to export growth.

“The need for greater levels of innovation among Irish companies as part of their response to Brexit is crucial and the launch of Meat Technology Ireland today is well-timed, pooling the innovative talents of all the stakeholders involved to compete internationally offering best-in-class and further leveraging our strong international reputation in the provision of quality meat products.”

The programme has been co-funded by Enterprise Ireland and a consortium of nine beef and sheep meat processing companies.

"We are delighted to back the establishment of Meat Technology Ireland, which will directly support innovation in the agri-food sector and ultimately contribute to export growth.”

The companies include ABP Ireland, Slaney Foods International, Dawn Meats Group, Dunbia (Ireland), Hilton Foods Ireland, Irish Country Meats, Kepak Group, Liffey Meats, and Ashbourne Meat Processors.

Research providers in the programme include Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), Dublin City University (DCU), Irish Cattle Breeders Federation (ICBF) and University College Cork (UCC).