Listening to factory agents in Ireland this week, they are under fierce pressure processing 300 head/day. A new beef factory which is planned to be built in South Dakota, US, is expected to be able to process 8,000 cattle daily.

To put that in context, in Ireland the combined kill at the moment for all factories is just over 6,000 head/day. The $1.1bn project is being headed up by fifth-generation rancher, Megan Kingsbury. Construction is expected to begin in 2023 with completion in 2026.

The move has been welcomed by US farmers, who have been very vocal about three beef processors controlling 85% of the US beef kill in recent years.

The factory will employ 2,500 people and will be fitted out with cutting-edge technology to streamline its beef processing throughput.