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Jobs Minister Richard Bruton today announced over 180 jobs to be created in Westmeath Monaghan, Dublin and Kildare.

The Minister welcomed the news that three Irish food companies are to begin investment programmes and create new jobs across the country.

Kildare company O'Brien Fine Foods are to create 51 jobs in Timahoe, County Kildare. The company is a leading producer of premium cooked hams, sausages, rashers and puddings for the retail trade markets in the UK and Ireland, and will invest over €3 million in a major development programme over the next three years.

Green Farm Foods, a leading producer of premium cooked meat products, is to invest €2.8m, leading to the creation of 30 new jobs in Rathowen, County Westmeath. The company is to double its production capacity to meet increasing demand for its products, allowing it expand its existing international markets and enter new markets.

Swift Fine Foods, located in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, produces premium quality chilled and frozen ready meals for the retail trade and foodservice markets, and is creating  53 jobs  over the next three years as part of a €3million investment.

Welcoming the announcements, Minister Bruton said:

Today’s announcement that three fast-growing Irish companies in the food sector are creating more than 130 jobs in Westmeath, Kildare and Monaghan is a further very welcome boost for employment in Ireland. Here are three Irish businesses, operating in locations across the country, expanding into export markets and creating large numbers of new jobs, a model of what we are trying to achieve with our plan.

For the past year we are seeing 3000 extra jobs being created in the private sector every month. Announcements like today confirm that we are on the right track, and I am determined to make the changes necessary to sustain the progress we have made to get people back to work.

In today's fourth jobs announcement, Stream Global Service is to begin a major hiring drive in the Dublin area to fill more than 50 permanent and 200 seasonal positions for its facilities in Swords & Santry. The new positions across the Dublin sites will focus on providing technical support solutions for one of Stream’s global clients. Stream provides training, support and career growth opportunities for its employees and it has a growing presence in Dublin and across the UK.

The Minister said:

Business Process Outsourcing is a sector targeted as part of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs, and in the past year we have seen an increase of 3000 jobs per month across the private sector. Today’s announcement by Stream, a cutting edge company in this sector, that it is expanding its operations in Ireland is a further very welcome boost. I wish them every success for their plans for Dublin.