Ireland to Target Rapidly Growing Chinese Beef Market
A delegation of fourteen leaders from the Chinese meat industry recently visited Dawn Meats’ Carroll’s Cross plant in County Waterford to tour the facility and learn more about the Irish beef industry. The visit comes following the announcement that China’s ban on Irish beef imports is to be lifted.
The Chinese delegation were amongst 400 food and drink buyers from over 30 countries taking part in Bord Bia’s Marketplace 2015, a week-long business development event introducing them to 185 Irish food and drink companies.
Dawn Meats was amongst the companies who joined the Minister of Agriculture’s trade mission to China in November 2014 which paved the way for the opening of the market. The volume of beef imported by China quadrupled to 280,000 tonnes in 2013, and is forecast to reach 1.7m tonnes in 2018.
Niall Browne, Chief Executive of Dawn Meats, commented: “We are excited about the potential scale of the opportunity in China and this visit will help strengthen the strong commercial relationships we have been building in advance of the market opening. The expected level of Chinese beef imports in 2018 is over three times total Irish production. In a country where pork and poultry have in the past dominated meat consumption, the recent dramatic increase in demand for beef is a sign of the opportunity for Ireland. Minister Coveney is to be congratulated on the work the government has done to open up this market, but there still remain considerable practicalities to be resolved before actual shipments can start.”
Wei Chen, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of China Meat Association, said: “We are pleased to have the opportunity to visit Dawn Meats to find out more about the quality, efficiency and sustainability of the production methods being used. I look forward to sharing information about the Irish beef industry with colleagues and partners back home, and I am optimistic that the trade relationships between our two countries will develop positively in the months ahead.”
Aidan Cotter, CEO of Bord Bia, said: “As part of the build up to Bord Bia’s Marketplace event on Thursday 26th March, we are taking visiting buyers on tours to see the best of what Ireland’s food and drink industry has to offer. This visit to Dawn Meats’ facility is a great way of showing our Chinese visitors the high standards of quality and safety to which Irish producers operate. Marketplace will help over 400 food and drink trade buyers from 30 countries to meet, and do business, with Irish food and drink producers.”
The visiting delegation toured Dawn Meats’ Carroll’s Cross production facility at which the company was originally founded in 1980 and greatly expanded with a €14.5 million investment in 2012. The 40,000 square foot facility contains the longest freezer line of its kind in Europe, and features the very latest energy efficiency technology, including wind and solar power. Through investments made in natural effluent treatment systems and green energy sourcing, production on the site has been fossil fuel free since 2014 and is a key contributor in reducing carbon emissions in line with the company’s sustainability plan and Origin Green commitments.
CAPTION:
Pictured (l to r): Wei Chen, Secretary General, China Meat Association; Niall Browne, Chief Executive, Dawn Meats; Chen Xibin, President, Heilongjiang Grand Farm Group; Richard Clinton, Commercial Director, Dawn Meats.
