Greencore has said it will review its executive pay strategy in the wake of nearly a third of its shareholders voting against policy at its AGM.

There has been a marked swing in business sentiment with regard to the UK market. Many believe, like Patrick Coveney, the chief executive of Greencore, that political certainty and stability is slowly returning despite the looming UK general election on December 12.

Greencore is expected to make further bolt-on acquisitions in the UK following its £56m (€61.5m) purchase of prepared salads maker Freshtime.

Greencore is expected to make further bolt-on acquisitions in the UK following its £56m (€61.5m) purchase of prepared salads maker Freshtime.

Greencore boss Patrick Coveney expects the sandwich-making group to undertake "quite a bit" of acquisition activity in the UK market over the next three to five years.

Simon Lewis The Munster exit door kept revolving yesterday as exciting young fly-half Bill Johnston left for Ulster in search of more game time and Heineken Cup-winning legend Doug Howlett decided to return to his native New Zealand.

The province's Head of Commercial and Marketing wishes to return to his native New Zealand, 11 years after joining Munster as a player.

Greencore boss Patrick Coveney has admitted the sandwiches and wraps-maker has grown less optimistic about the chances of a smooth and orderly Brexit and is putting greater emphasis than before on planning for a hard or no-deal outcome.

Greencore shares fell by over 5% as a better-than-expected trading update and talk of a recovery in its US operations failed to impress investors.

Greencore shares fell by 3.25% despite it completing its exit from the non-core dessert and cakes business amid upbeat sentiment surrounding its first trading update of the year, due today.

Predicting the future is no longer just the domain of fortune tellers and economists.

Greencore is confident of adding to its customer base in the US — where it currently provides food products to the likes of Starbucks and 7-Eleven — on the back of growing capacity there.

Greencore shares rebounded by more than 9% yesterday after management reaffirmed the growth potential afforded by its recent purchase of US company Peacock Foods.

Irish food-to-go supplier Greencore (GNC) has struck a €547m deal to buy American peer Peacock Foods in a bid to strengthen its US business.

The chief executive of the largest Irish company operating in the UK has warned those campaigning for Britain to leave the EU that they are “sleepwalking into a very dangerous place”, adding that a Brexit would be “very, very bad for the Irish, European, and world economies”.

A €254m jump in the value of goods exports helped drive a near 22% surge in Ireland’s trade surplus in April, newly published preliminary figures from the CSO show.

The Taoiseach, ahead of his UK visit today, has warned Brexit would do “serious damage” to competitiveness, would increase costs for business, and lead to the reintroduction of border control.

Greencore has no ambitions to return to sugar production despite the new Government saying it will offer State support to prospective sugar beet processors — when sugar quotas expire in 2017 — in a bid to rebuild the industry here.

Some of the country’s most prominent business leaders have warned against squandering the country’s vulnerable economic recovery in the general election.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney’s businessman brother has publicly questioned how so many people have been “left behind” in what he described as the “unprecedented economic recovery” of recent years.

Greencore expects to see a significant step-up in profits in its US operations over the next couple of years after seeing its ‘food-to-go’ policy generate impressive growth on both sides of the Atlantic over the past 12 months.

Greencore’s US operations could have the capacity to generate annual revenues of $600m to $700m (€540m to €625m) within three years.

Greencore hasn’t ruled out the prospect of making more acquisitions in the US as part of its ongoing growth and investment strategy.

Consumer foods group Greencore is confident of outperforming an “uncertain” UK grocery sector, by continuing to make inroads into the growing ‘food-to-go’ market.

Greencore’s first production facility on the west coast of the US could nudge overall long-term annual revenue capability from its American operations up to almost $700 million (€563m).

Greencore has said its US operations should have the capacity to generate up to $600m in annual revenues, once recently announced expansion plans come on stream.

Greencore expects to meet earnings estimates for its current financial year, after showing better-than-expected underlying growth in its first half.

One of rugby’s most celebrated wing wonders may no longer be crossing the whitewash for Munster, but Doug Howlett can still play an important part in shaping the province’s future in his role as a corporate ambassador.

Management at Greencore remain confident that improving consumer sentiment in its core market of the UK has not plateaued and that it can continue to see revenues recover there.

Greencore is unlikely to sell any of its Irish-based property assets in the foreseeable future.

Greencore’s annual results have exceeded market expectations, despite this year’s horsemeat scandal wiping about £15m from its full-year revenues.

A number of Cork’s most successful businesspeople took to the stage at the inaugural Cork Global Economic Forum and Network Event yesterday to try and plot a plan for the future of the region.

Greencore expects to meet its main targets for its current financial year, despite the recent horsemeat scandal knocking about £6m (€7m) off its revenues to date.

Munster Rugby have brought in some of the country’s leading businessmen to help steer them through the economic downturn.

A bolognese sauce produced by Irish food group Greencore for Asda contained 4.8% horse DNA, according to test results released tonight.

Greeencore CEO Patrick Coveney has faced tough challenges during his time at the helm but the horsemeat scandal threatens to deliver the biggest blow to the company’s reputation and requires deft handling, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

Shares in Greencore have plummeted by around 22% this morning.

Larry Goodman’s ABP Food Group was at the heart of yet more horsemeat controversy last night as it emerged its meat was contained in bolognese sauce which has been withdrawn by British retailer Asda.