Alltech Ireland announces new hires for pig and poultry teams

Alltech Ireland is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr Hazel Rooney as technical pig coordinator and Paula Mc Cooey as poultry manager. They join Alltech with valuable education and experience in their respective species and will work closely with the sales, marketing and research teams to support customers and partners.   

Hazel will be responsible for coordinating and developing technical solutions for pigs for the Irish and European marketplace, working closely with the Alltech Ireland sales and gut health management teams and also as a liaison between Alltech’s marketing and research teams.

“The Irish and European pig industry is currently facing a number of difficult challenges, and I look forward to working closely with those in the industry to overcome these challenges by improving pig health, welfare and growth performance,” said Hazel

Prior to joining Alltech, Hazel received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2016 and a PhD in swine nutrition from UCD and the Teagasc Pig Development Department in 2019. Her doctoral research focussed on maternal feeding strategies during gestation and lactation to optimise annual sow output and promote the growth and development of progeny from large litters. She then spent a year working as a post-doctoral researcher in the Teagasc Pig Development Department in Ireland.  

As the Alltech Ireland poultry manager, Paula is responsible for managing the poultry accounts across the island of Ireland. She will work closely with customers at all levels to advise, problem solve and provide solutions based on customer needs.

“The poultry industry is a thriving and progressive sector to be involved in,” Paula commented. “I look forward to working with producers and those in the industry to maximise on-farm potential and meet the challenges and demands that the industry faces.”

Paula received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture science from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2014. She then moved to England to work for MoyPark and spent two years learning about the business from the hatchery to the processing plant before becoming a broiler field advisor and was responsible for 36 farms across Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. She continued to work for MoyPark in Northern Ireland as a farm compliance manager before moving to Western Brand in 2019. Here, she was responsible for driving performance and ensuring compliance on 75 broiler farms across Cavan, Monaghan and Mayo.

“We are pleased to have Hazel and Paula join the Alltech Ireland team as they are well-accomplished in the pig and poultry industries,” said Cathal McCormack, country manager at Alltech Ireland. “They will be key assets to our team and customers.”

They can be reached via email at hazel.rooney@alltech.com and paula.mccooey@alltech.com