An Irish company has won a multimillion pound British government contract to handle the movements of all sheep, goats and deer in England.

Clonakilty-based SouthWestern will become responsible for managing the electronic reporting system for all movements from January 2014, replacing the current paper records system.

The five-year contract will create up to 20 jobs at SouthWestern’s Bedfordshire offices, although much of the work will be dealt with by staff in its west Cork offices, chief executive Jim Costello said.

The win offers SouthWes- tern the chance to bid for other larger outsourcing contracts in the UK, which are worth €241 billion a year and employ three million people.

The contract was awarded to SouthWestern last November, but had to be put out to tender again after one of the bidding companies complained about the manner in which it was handled.

SouthWestern employs 500 people in Clonakilty, where it handles back-office administration for food and drink, media, banking, tele- communications, retail and energy companies sectors

It also employs 150 people at its Polish base in Lodz.