Dawn Meats was announced this week as the preferred partner by the board of the Alliance group in New Zealand to acquire 65% of the shares in its business. While it is framed as a strategic partnership, if the deal is approved by the farmer shareholders and relevant authorities, the 65% stake will give Dawn Meats the final word on running the business.
It has often been speculated that the large Irish factory groups would be a target for one of the major global players headquartered in the US or Brazil as a stepping stone into the British and EU market.
However, Irish meat processors have been spreading their wings for more than a decade.
ABP has expanded to three factories in Poland, while Liffey Meats has acquired two businesses in France. Dawn itself went into partnership with Elivia and decided to end that venture two years ago.
Dawn will bring management and marketing expertise in addition to the financial investment required by the Alliance business.
It will also provide a stepping stone for New Zealand beef and lamb to build market share in the UK and EU, taking full advantage of the recent trade deals with both.
Read more about Dawn Meats on p24.
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