While the Dawn Meats proposal to invest NZ$250m (€125m) for a 65% stake in the Alliance Group was being prepared over recent months, New Zealand beef exports to the UK were experiencing lift off, as shown in Figure 1. New Zealand has had a tariff-free quota for beef sales in the UK since June 2023. Throughout 2024 volumes exported under this quota never amounted to more than a few hundred tonnes (t) per month.
They did pick up at the start of this year and progressively increased during the first quarter of 2025, growing to 968t in March. After a dip in April, they jumped again in May to 1,243t, but it was in June and July when the UK became a key market for New Zealand beef with volumes exceeding 2,000t in both months.
While the volume in July was 300t less than in June, it was still enough to make the UK New Zealand’s third-largest beef export market that month. Their main market was the US taking 14,825t in July followed by China on 9,350t while the EU which has a 10,000t 7.5% tariff quota, was the eighth-most important export market, taking 701t.
New Zealand agri exports
The performance of New Zealand sheepmeat exports to the UK over the same period has been less dramatic. As Figure 2 shows, since the start of last year, volumes have only dipped below 2,000t on a few occasions and risen above 5,000t once. There has been a long-established New Zealand export trade to the UK which preceded the June 2023 trade deal. This was because there had already been a large tariff-free quota for sheepmeat which New Zealand rarely filled in recent years.
New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter and second-largest sheep meat exporter after Australia. It is less-well-known as a beef exporter but with around 500,000t shipped annually, it is broadly on par with Ireland as a beef-exporting country. It ranks behind only Australia, Brazil, US, Argentina and Uruguay in the table of major beef-exporting countries.
The US and China have been long established as New Zealand’s top beef export markets with Canada, Japan and Korea traditionally completing its top five beef customers. While two months’ data and one month in third place for the UK isn’t enough to confirm a reorientation of New Zealand beef exports, it is sufficient to move it into the category of “one to watch”.
Niall Browne, CEO Dawn Meats.
Dawn angle
After the announcement last month that Dawn Meats is the preferred bidder for the 65% stake in the Alliance Group, nothing further will happen ahead of Alliance shareholders considering the offer. This process is scheduled to kick off formally on 15 September with the scheme booklet release followed by farmer roadshows to explain the deal scheduled to commence on 29 September.
The Alliance special general meeting to decide on the deal is timetabled for the middle of October with the vote announcement to follow. If that goes to plan, regulatory approval is expected by the end of the year.
Alliance has long established trade with the UK in its own right with a sales office in London and it is coincidental that New Zealand beef exports to the UK surged in the two months prior to the deal with Dawn Meats being announced.
Niall Browne, CEO of Dawn Meats, said in the announcement of the deal: “Having the ability to grow in partnership with some of New Zealand’s leading farmers and create year-round supply for our customers between the northern and southern hemispheres is an opportunity we are deeply committed to and take very seriously.”
There is no doubt that Dawn Meats can provide Alliance with further access to customers in the UK and EU. On the flipside, it is likely that Alliance can also be a gateway for Dawn to grow its exports to Asian markets, particularly Japan and Korea which opened to Irish beef exports last year.
While the Dawn Meats proposal to invest NZ$250m (€125m) for a 65% stake in the Alliance Group was being prepared over recent months, New Zealand beef exports to the UK were experiencing lift off, as shown in Figure 1. New Zealand has had a tariff-free quota for beef sales in the UK since June 2023. Throughout 2024 volumes exported under this quota never amounted to more than a few hundred tonnes (t) per month.
They did pick up at the start of this year and progressively increased during the first quarter of 2025, growing to 968t in March. After a dip in April, they jumped again in May to 1,243t, but it was in June and July when the UK became a key market for New Zealand beef with volumes exceeding 2,000t in both months.
While the volume in July was 300t less than in June, it was still enough to make the UK New Zealand’s third-largest beef export market that month. Their main market was the US taking 14,825t in July followed by China on 9,350t while the EU which has a 10,000t 7.5% tariff quota, was the eighth-most important export market, taking 701t.
New Zealand agri exports
The performance of New Zealand sheepmeat exports to the UK over the same period has been less dramatic. As Figure 2 shows, since the start of last year, volumes have only dipped below 2,000t on a few occasions and risen above 5,000t once. There has been a long-established New Zealand export trade to the UK which preceded the June 2023 trade deal. This was because there had already been a large tariff-free quota for sheepmeat which New Zealand rarely filled in recent years.
New Zealand is the world’s largest dairy exporter and second-largest sheep meat exporter after Australia. It is less-well-known as a beef exporter but with around 500,000t shipped annually, it is broadly on par with Ireland as a beef-exporting country. It ranks behind only Australia, Brazil, US, Argentina and Uruguay in the table of major beef-exporting countries.
The US and China have been long established as New Zealand’s top beef export markets with Canada, Japan and Korea traditionally completing its top five beef customers. While two months’ data and one month in third place for the UK isn’t enough to confirm a reorientation of New Zealand beef exports, it is sufficient to move it into the category of “one to watch”.
Niall Browne, CEO Dawn Meats.
Dawn angle
After the announcement last month that Dawn Meats is the preferred bidder for the 65% stake in the Alliance Group, nothing further will happen ahead of Alliance shareholders considering the offer. This process is scheduled to kick off formally on 15 September with the scheme booklet release followed by farmer roadshows to explain the deal scheduled to commence on 29 September.
The Alliance special general meeting to decide on the deal is timetabled for the middle of October with the vote announcement to follow. If that goes to plan, regulatory approval is expected by the end of the year.
Alliance has long established trade with the UK in its own right with a sales office in London and it is coincidental that New Zealand beef exports to the UK surged in the two months prior to the deal with Dawn Meats being announced.
Niall Browne, CEO of Dawn Meats, said in the announcement of the deal: “Having the ability to grow in partnership with some of New Zealand’s leading farmers and create year-round supply for our customers between the northern and southern hemispheres is an opportunity we are deeply committed to and take very seriously.”
There is no doubt that Dawn Meats can provide Alliance with further access to customers in the UK and EU. On the flipside, it is likely that Alliance can also be a gateway for Dawn to grow its exports to Asian markets, particularly Japan and Korea which opened to Irish beef exports last year.
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