Dawn Meats acquires complete stake in Dunbia

Irish food company Dawn Meats has reportedly acquired a complete stake in the joint venture (JV) with meat processing company Dunbia.

Financial terms of the deal have not been divulged by either company.

The move comes after the announcement of the retirement of Dunbia co-founder Jim Dobson.

Dobson said: “The creation of the JV with Dawn Meats ensured the business would continue to grow as a leading quality meat supplier in the UK market.

“I want to thank all the team that has worked on the integration and feel confident that they are well-placed to build on all our past achievements together.”

Based in Tyrone, Dunbia currently operates 12 lamb and beef meat processing plants located across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dawn Meats’ combined businesses in the UK and Ireland have a workforce of more than 7,000 members and is working with more than 30,000 farmers.

Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne said: “Combining our operations in the UK has been a strategic success based on a strong cultural fit between two family-owned businesses that shared a deep connection to farming and an ethos centred on quality and sustainability.”

In May 2017, Dawn Meats signed a strategic partnership with Dunbia to set up a JV in the UK to offer its customers regionally sourced solutions for both beef and lamb from 15 facilities across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Later in October, Dawn Meats and Dunbia received all regulatory clearances for the strategic partnership and acquisition agreement signed between the firms.