Processor Dawn Meats has welcomed the opening of the South Korean market to Irish beef for the first time, announcing a multi-million contract for monthly shipments with a South Korean company.
The contract will allow Dawn Meats to supply beef monthly to the South Korean firm's foodservice, retail and manufacturing customers across the country.
Dawn Meats has secured South Korean approval for the supply, marketing and distribution of bone-in and boneless beef cuts and offal into South Korea from its sites in Grannagh in Co. Waterford and Charleville in Co. Cork.
The contract will commence in late May following a successful visit by representatives of the South Korean company to Ireland in January of this year. The visit was the culmination of significant efforts by Dawn Meats to build relationships with South Korean potential clients, which began in 2018. It also followed an audit of Irish beef plants by South Korean authorities in April.
Dawn Meats currently supplies Irish beef into other markets in the region including the Philippines and Japan. This new market access will now facilitate the development of a broader customer base and builds on Dawn Meats' growing reputation overseas.
Niall Browne, CEO, Dawn Meats said: "We welcome this new market access to South Korea and we are delighted that two of our sites have received South Korean approval. It is a testament to the high quality beef supplied by our family farm suppliers, and it is a significant step in developing new market opportunities for our products.
"We must recognise the role played by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine over the years to secure this positive development. We look forward to working with our customers in the South Korean market who will be crucial to helping to bring quality Irish beef to the plates of South Korean consumers."
