Dunbia, part of the Dawn Meats Group, has acquired a lamb processing site in Cornwall.
The company has said that the H R Jasper & Son lamb abattoir in Launceston will “further enhance Dunbia’s position as Britain’s leading lamb and beef processor”.
The Jasper family business was formed in 1930 and processes up to 10,000 lambs a week, with products sold to retail, wholesale, foodservice and export markets.
The site employs 90 people and all staff are being retained.
Chief executive officer at Dunbia, Niall Browne said: “The reputation and demand for high-quality ‘West Country’ lamb is growing both within Britain and across Europe and we look forward to continuing to work with farmers in Cornwall and across the South West to promote this excellent product to both new and existing customers.”
Livestock procurement director at Dunbia, Andrew Smyth said: “The climate and excellent farming practices in this region will allow us to deliver the first British spring lambs of the new season to our customers.
“This will be a great addition to our range of regional lamb products from Britain and Northern Ireland.”
Managing Director of H R Jasper & Son, Keith Jasper added: “We have a proud history of providing great service to both our farmers and our customers, and as the family now passes on the business, we are confident that Dunbia will continue that tradition.
“We have been doing business with Dunbia for many years. It’s a family business like ours and has previous experience of acquiring and developing businesses in the 'West Country’. Our family looks forward to continuing to work with Dunbia on the site.”
Details of the deal are to remain confidential. Dawn Meats, the parent company of Dunbia, previously purchased the Jasper beef abattoir and boning facility in Treburley in Cornwall in 2014.
Dunbia
Dunbia is the UK division of Dawn Meats and operates as a multi-site, multi-species operation, processing cattle and sheep for national and international markets.
Operating from 13 sites in the UK and 10 in Ireland, the company is the supplier to a range of supermarket, foodservice and manufacturing businesses.
Dunbia works with over 32,000 farmers across the UK and Ireland to ensure the quality of its produce.
Dawn Meats
Dawn Meats is a supplier to a range of supermarket, foodservice and manufacturing businesses, exporting to more than 50 countries.
As a family owned business, Dawn Meats said that it remains true to its farming heritage through the close relationships it has forged with over 32,000 family farms from which it directly sources grass-fed cattle and lamb for processing at its 10 Irish and 13 UK sites.
Dawn Meats was established in Co. Waterford, Ireland in 1980, and has grown to a business with over €2.5 billion in annual revenue, employing over 8,000 staff in 12 countries.
Dawn Meats took full control of Dunbia in July 2020, following the successful joint venture that had been established in May 2017. The combined businesses in the UK and Ireland process approximately 1,000,000 cattle and 3.5 million sheep annually.
