Silver Hill Duck
Membership Status:
Approved until 31 May 2021
Sector:
Meat
About the company
Founded in 1962, Silver Hill Duck is a fully integrated premium Duck Producer. All aspects of their duck production are owned and controlled by Silver Hill Duck, from breeding, egg production, hatching and selection, to processing, cooking and packaging. Their distinctive hybrid duck is exclusive to Silver Hill Duck. It has been continually developed over the years, to produce a duck that is full of flavour, succulent, tender and consistent in its quality.
In March 2019 Fane Valley Group acquired Silver Hill Duck. Fane Valley is a progressive agri-food business, based in Northern Ireland and has been Silver Hill’s feed nutrition partner for over 20 years. The announcement secured ongoing investment in the development of the existing production site at Emyvale to keep pace with rapidly growing global demand for the famous Silver Hill Duck. The company now supplies quality duck and duck products to outlets the world over, including South East Asia.
Key Sustainability Commitments
Key Sustainability Commitments
Committed to using 100% Renewable Electricity.
Reducing their Impact on the Environment:
- Water: in
2019 we achieved a 40.08% reduction from our baseline figure and also a
19.09% reduction from our 2018 figure.
- Energy: 27%
kWh/t reduction in Electricity usage at their processing facility in
Emyvale in 2019 compared to 2018. Energy usage is monitored weekly and the
company is continually researching ways to reduce their energy usage.
Emphasis was placed on awareness and education of staff on the
fundamentals of conserving energy.
· Packaging: replace all black non-recyclable PET trays with grey recyclable trays, for all of product supplied to Aldi, Lidl UK and Ireland by end 2021. All card boxes and sleeves for Aldi to be made from FSC and/or PEFC by the end 2020.
Focused on Enhancing Biodiversity:
In the process of creating a wild flower area at Silver Hill Duck with the help of a local horticulturist.
Support the Local Community:
At Silver Hill Duck we seek ways to ensure that our business can have a meaningful, positive impact on the communities we operate in. In 2019 we had an allocated budget to support a range of local, national & international charities across different sectors – Sport, Mental Health, Education, Community Development etc.
Focus on Health and Wellbeing:
We reduced Salt Levels in products by 15% in 2015 and we are committed to maintaining this.
In 2019, the WOW (Working On Wellness) Team launched Witness the Fitness Challenge. 50 employees signed up to the Silver Hill club on Strava with all distances walked & ran being recorded over the monthly period. We also participated in Darkness into Light for the third consecutive year.
Silver Hill Duck launched and hosted the first ever “Monaghan’s Fittest Company” Charity Event in Rossmore Forest in association with our local running club Glaslough Harriers. We raised €10,000 for our chosen charity ‘Errigal Truagh Special Needs’. 42 companies all over Monaghan entered the event.
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/silverhillfoods.ie/ https://twitter.com/SilverHillFarm https://www.linkedin.com/company/silver-hill-foods/Exemplary Performance Target Areas
Minimum Origin Green Targets Required Annually = 6
Spotlight Target Area: Waste
Silver Hill Duck became a member of the Origin Green programme in 2014. They are currently on their second sustainability plan covering a 5 year period to 2021. The management team strongly believe in doing all they can to protect the environment and they see membership of Origin Green as an excellent way for Silver Hill to communicate and prove its commitment to sustainability and the environment to our suppliers and customers.
Their sustainability agenda is a cross functional effort led by Environmental Manager Denise Jordan who takes a collaborative approach to embed sustainability initiatives into the business involving and engaging all staff.
Cutting Down Water Wastage
Silver Hill set a target to reduce well water usage by 15% m /tonne by end of 2019 and to maintain 2019 usage levels to 2021. In 2019 a 41% reduction per tonne was achieved from a 2015 baseline, with a 19% decrease achieved from 2018.
Achievements achieved through the following;
- Recycling of water in pluck and wax area
- Annual Water Awareness Training with employees with water wastage prevention prioritised through better visual representation
- Random spot checks of water using equipment/processes at break times by Environment Team to ensure no water is left running
“Origin Green is a badge we proudly showcase internationally. Our customers want Peking Duck that is produced sustainably and the Origin Green stamp authenticates the great efforts at Silver Hill to consistently do just that.”
Micheál Briody, MD
