Dawn Meats to create 65 jobs after signing €300m deal with McDonald’s

Dawn Meats is creating 65 jobs at its new €14.5m beef processing facility in Waterford on foot of signing a €300m, five-year contact to produce 18,000 tonnes of Irish beef annually for McDonald’s Ireland.

The jobs will bring total staff numbers at Dawn Meats to 1,400 in Ireland. Another 100 jobs have been created during the construction of the near completed 3,700m sq meat processing facility in Waterford.

The facility will have the latest energy efficient technology and the longest freezer line of its kind in Europe. It will officially open for production next month.

The CEOs of both companies described the deal as a stamp of approval for Irish beef. McDonald’s exported €110m-worth of Irish beef in 2011, up from €80m in 2008. Some 18,000 quality-assured Irish farmers supply beef in to the restaurant chain.

IFA president John Bryan also welcomed the deal, noting that 20% of all beef used in McDonald’s Europe outlets is of Irish origin.

McDonald’s managing director Adrian Crean confirmed: “This deal is based upon the fact that Irish farmers produce beef that is of the highest quality standards. We have been partnering with Dawn Meats for 25 years, and working with the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme from the start.

“We believe that Irish beef, which is produced from cattle reared on a natural diet, grazing extensively in open fields during Ireland’s long grass season, is one of the best there is.”

Mr Crean said “supply, slaughter, and processing now all taking place in Ireland, leading to more value and enabling companies like Dawn Meats to create and sustain Irish jobs”.

Recruitment is already under way at the Dawn Meats facility at Carroll’s Cross. The new facility will be located on the original site where the company launched 32 years ago.

Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne said the roles will be a mix of around 20 management and quality assurance roles, with the rest being made up of intake, dispatch, and production functions.