Dawn Meats / Teagasc Open Day Tuesday 9th November 

At the Dawn Meats / Teagasc Open Day at Johnstown Castle in Co Wexford on Tuesday a large and somewhat unique gathering of beef and dairy farmers were introduced to the joint work being undertaken in developing profitable beef production systems for bull calves from the dairy herd.

In the question and answer forum that followed Niall Browne CEO Dawn Meats told the audience that his company would be challenging the status quo in 2011 by purchasing week old Holstein dairy bull calves from selected dairy farms and having them reared and finished for slaughter as 15/16 month old young bull beef on a contract rearing/finishing price.

The selected rearers and finishers would be required to sign up to a pre-agreed fee which would be enhanced with bonus payments for reaching certain clearly defined targets during the life of the crop.

Mr Browne went on to say that this “contracts with a twist” system of rearing and finishing in which Dawn Meats would make the seed capital available in these tough times may well prove key to adding much needed value to Irelands exports from the food sector in the future.

Back Row: Niall Browne Dawn Meats, Peter Mitchell OSI, Francis Fauchere EURODIS, Steve McClean M&S
Front Row: Sheelagh Johnson TESCO, Pearce Hughes ASDA, Prof Gerry Boyle TEAGASC

Pictured: Richard Clinton Dawn Meats, Robert Prenderville TEAGASC, Prof Gerry Boyle TEAGASC, Paul Nolan Dawn Meats