IRVINE'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility is at the core of Irvine’s purpose of changing lives by producing affordable protein and growing businesses. The business supports the communities it operates in through various activities that it upscales every year.
Celebrating the World Environment Day
The world celebrated World Environment Day 2023 on the 5th of June. This was celebrated to encourage awareness and action for protection of the environment as the Company fully recognises the importance of protecting the environment.
This year the focus was on reducing plastic pollution; employees and the community were encouraged to unite to #BeatPlasticPollution and pave the path towards a greener world. Irvine’s has also adopted ecofriendly methods of waste segregation at all our domestic residences and our processing plant.
In partnership with the Refuse Collection Services Company, an estimated total of 6 tonnes of plastic was separated from domestic and processing waste, and sent to various recyclers in the country for the manufacture of products such as bin liners, plastic dishes and plastic buckets, thus preventing all the plastic waste ending up in the landfills.
Harare South Farms Feeding programme (HSF)
The HSF feeding programme is a programme through which the company provides food for children of employees and is aimed at increasing attendance rates, decreasing absenteeism and improving nutrition levels of employees’ children left at the play center while their parents are at work. The scheme eases the burden of looking for childminders on team members as well as reducing the burden of using extra money by providing kids with lunch boxes. The programme also helps parents have peace of mind while at work and this ultimately results in improved productivity. Apart from this, the feeding programme also brings equity and inclusion in education.
Some of the key facts about the feeding programme include:
- Since its inception, attendance has increased by about 65% from an average of 20 kids per day to over 33 per day.
- Attendance has been consistent.
- Balanced diet meals are being offered with children receiving three meals per day. Porridge is offered in the morning, rice or sadza with either beans, kapenta, vegetables or milk offered at lunch, and a late afternoon snack of a boiled egg or 500ml of maheu.
- Concentration and energy levels of kids have significantly improved as evidenced by the level of activity at the play center.
- No children are feeling marginalised as they are all now having the same meals as opposed to the past when they were bringing lunch boxes.
Irvine’s Weekly Donations to the Community (Standing Orders)
The Company also supported 13 organisations with product donations as listed below.
Disease Prevention
Irvine’s being the biggest and only fully integrated poultry company in the country has in place robust biosecurity measures meant to protect the country from disease outbreaks.
The Company operates a world class veterinary centre manned by a team of qualified vets. During the year, over 200 free post mortems were conducted for day old chick customers assisting them with recommendations on disease management.
In order to protect Irvine’s birds against the devastating Newcastle Disease, which is usually problematic in small scale flocks and can then be transmitted to Irvine’s birds, Irvine’s, in conjunction with the Department of Veterinary Services, conducts annual vaccinations of small-scales farmers’ birds around Derbyshire & Lanark farms, all contract breeder farms and all 27 contract broiler grower farms. A total of 110 000 small scale birds were vaccinated between July 2022 and June 2023.
Growing Businesses
The company set up new distributors to improve the access of table eggs across the country. This is part of efforts to grow businesses and create employment. Through the sale of day old chicks, the Company helped small and large-scale producers to generate over USD 25 000 gross revenue from selling chickens into the market. Over and above supporting contract growers, this impact is quite significant in terms of creating jobs downstream.
Technical Support
The Company also offers Technical Support to small-scale growers in order to help them increase their profit yields. The Regional Technical Sales Representatives were deployed in the year to fully cover the whole country. Over 2 000 small-scale poultry farmers attended training session held across customer points.
Employee Welfare
On average the company employed 1 899 people in F2023 with 33% of them being female. 744 (38%) employees are provided accommodation at the Derbyshire and HSF and in total, the Company offers accommodation to a total of 2 347 individuals and families.
The houses are 4 roomed with a shower, portable water and electricity. The Company also operates two primary schools that offer quality education to employees’ children as well as children from surrounding areas. A total of 777 pupils attend both schools and supports the schools with educational materials, support staff and other teaching needs. In addition to the schools, the Company operates two clinics that are manned by state-registered nurses with weekly visits by a doctor.
The houses are 4 roomed with a shower, portable water and electricity. The Company also operates two primary schools that offer quality education to employees’ children as well as children from surrounding areas. A total of 777 pupils attend both schools and supports the schools with educational materials, support staff and other teaching needs. In addition to the schools, the Company operates two clinics that are manned by state-registered nurses with weekly visits by a doctor.
Employee Wellness
Globally employee wellness programmes have become a critical part of employee welfare and the Company supports various sporting activities for its employees to ensure they have a good balance between work and leisure.
Irvine’s Netball Team
Irvine’s Queens Netball team has been in existence for the past 25 years and is still fulfilling the benefits to all club members. Since the onset of the 2023 season, the team has won all its games in Division 2 and aiming to qualify for Division one.
Athletics Team
Irvine’s Athletics Club has over 40 active members. The club took part in events like GoFit Half Marathon, Zuva Half Marathon, Postman Marathon, and Musabvunda Half Marathon to name a few. Three of the team members won bronze medals at the 2023 Comrades Marathon. The Athletics Club is open to all employees and the company offers trendy branded sportswear to all club members.
Long Service Awards
During F2023 the Company recognised the service of 171 employees reaching the following milestones, including Luckson Nyamayaro who reached the exemplary milestone of 40 years of service.
Number of Employees crossing each Milestone in 2023
Leadership and Management Development Training
As part of efforts to upgrade management skills, the Company enrolled managers into various development courses such as the leadership development program and Exceptional Customer Service training. A total of 188 managers were enrolled in the various training programmes.
