Origin Enterprises plc announced that it has acquired Dublin-based Scott Cawley ltd, a company it describes as Ireland’s market-leading specialist ecological consultancy.

The acquisition, the first in 20 years of an Irish company by Origin, brings the company’s combined team of environmental professionals to over 270, including 175 ecologists.

Origin said the deal strengthens the its position in the UK and Irish ecology and environmental markets.

The company added that the deal will keep its ecological services division, Living Landscapes, on target to meet its target of accounting for 30% of the group’s operating profit by the end of the 2026 financial year.

Scott Cawley employs more than 30 people and has been providing ecological survey and impact assessment services to the planning and development sectors in Ireland for over 20 years. The most recent financial report for the company showed that it made a profit after tax of €503,000 in 2023.

TJ Kelly, divisional managing director of Living Landscapes, said: “With significant expertise and strong relationships across both the public and private sectors in Ireland, Scott Cawley will complement and strengthen our existing ecological consulting and advisory services portfolio.”

Aebhín Cawley, CEO and founder of Scott Cawley Ltd, said: “The strategic fit of our nature positive, purpose-driven company with Origin’s core Living Landscapes strategy presents a really exciting opportunity for me and my team.”

Shares in Origin Enterprises were 4% lower in early trading on the Dublin stock exchange, a move in line with the wider selloff across global stock markets following the introduction of import tariffs by US president Donald Trump.