The Collins family, who run a poultry and dairy farm in Lisnaskea, installed a series of wireless antenna allowing them to access their broadband connection and submit vital information to Dungannon company Moy Park Ltd.

The new "wi-fly" technology has already cut down on hours of paperwork that once required pen and paper.

Gerard and Claire Collins keep thousands of breeding birds on their farm, whose fertile eggs are sent on to hatcheries to produce chicks.

Every day the pair have to record reams of vital information needed for the smooth running of the poultry unit - number of eggs laid, house temperature, water and feed consumption and the time the birds spend feeding.

And the speed with which the information reaches the Moy Park is crucial for early disease detection and ensuring bird welfare.

Everything has changed since the couple applied to the Increasing Access to ICT Scheme run by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

DARD has shelled out for an UMPC - which resembles a very small laptop with a 7" screen - that can be written on with a special pen.

The Fermanagh couple are now among 56 Moy Park farmers evaluating the device, with some accessing the internet using wireless and others using mobile phone networks to go online.

Claire said: "Before the website was introduced, information from the poultry unit was posted or faxed to Moy Park.

"Now I can submit information, have it analysed and receive reports in a fraction of that time."

A DARD spokesman said: "The UMPC and wireless farmyard is an example of how modern technology can be used to cut down on the amount of time farmers spend recording, while giving them access to all the information they need to make quick, effective decisions.

"It has also greatly improved traceability of local produce along the entire supply chain from the egg to the chicken."