The Dramatic Change of Operations Management of Irelands Food and Essay

The Dramatic Change of Operations Management of Irelands Food and Beverage Industry - Essay Example The sector employs 47,000 people directly in over 650 companies; agriculture employs another 110,000 people. Ireland has undergone significant changes since the beginning of the 'Celtic Tiger' phase in the early 1990s. Notable has been the development of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and that Ireland now has the second highest GDP per capita in the European Union (EU). According to John Linnane, a lecturer in food production in his article, A History of Irish Cuisine, Food production inevitably was the principle preoccupation of the mass of the population and, as it was in most societies of that era, it took up most of their working day. Evidence for agricultural activity during the centuries BC is rather surprising, for periods up to 200 years the level of agricultural activity seemed to have declined then increased and declined again. During the periods of decline the consumption of meat and dairy products increased. Periods of forest clearing for agriculture were followed by periods of secondary re-growth of the cleared forests and a return to dependence on livestock, hunting and gathering. This intermittent cycle of forest clearing and planting lasted up until the 3rd century AD when a dramatic expansion of permanent agriculture occurred. Aspects of social changes include domestication of variety of animals, the clearing of forests, plus the co llection of wild edible plants for immediate use, cultivation or storage. Approximately 5,000 years ago this extended to the cultivation of a variety of edible grass seed and leaf plants. The best example of this kind of agriculture in Ireland where the evidence still exists to this day is the Ceide fields in County Mayo, considered to be more than 5,000 years old. The establishment of single-crop production (oats and barley) is believed to have occurred in these fields, which in turn led to long-term storage and elementary processing of food. Alongside and following the establishment of crops, the rural controlled grazing of animals also began. With these dramatic changes came the creation of relatively stable family units. The increase in the quantity and dependability of the food supply somewhat loosened the natural restraints of starvation, disease, and similar forces that held in check the potential growth of the population which began to expand rapidly, and the Irish moved tow ard a civilisation which had its own political organisations dominated by the Druid Priesthood and the Ruling Class. As the food and drinks sector depends upon the interests of agriculture, fisheries, research, retail, manufacturing and export markets, it faces a number of government agencies which were related to the above sectors. This offers a number of problems and priorities according to IBEC. The industry keeping in view the above problems, was lounging for a single window approach with the government regarding its business. This is the thing they feel that is necessary for the survival and in future thriving of the industry. Even the critical sector agriculture which provides food security for the people depends on this industry to make good