Irish Country Meats acquires top Belgian lamb processing company
Irish Country Meats have announced its acquisition of Belgium’s leading lamb processor A Lonhienne, which is located in the municipal abattoir complex in Liège.
Irish Country Meats is a subsidiary of Wexford-based Slaney Foods and is a member of the Linden Food Group. The Belgian acquisition will complement existing group lamb processing capacity in Ireland and the UK consolidating its position as a key player in the European lamb sector.
A Lonhienne was founded in 1979 and is acknowledged as the lamb market leader in Belgium, supplying all major retailers in addition to servicing food service and wholesale outlets nationwide with its own distribution fleet.
The company processes a full range of carcass, primal de-boned and shelf ready retail packed lamb products, providing direct employment for 45 people with annual sales of €25 million.
Liege is well located from a distribution perspective couched between key markets of France, Germany and Holland and linked by an extensive motorway network. This location in addition to Lonhienne processing and distribution capability offers exciting opportunities to Irish Country Meats in further advancing its market development programme.
Irish Country Meats managing director Joe Hyland said the development which merges two of Europe’s leading lamb specialist processing entities presents the opportunity to create a platform of excellence and specialisation in the European lamb sector.
“The unrivalled position of Lonhienne as the supplier of choice to the Belgian market is testament to the excellent quality of product, the expertise and dedication of Lonhienne shareholders and staff.”
