Issue No.16 Autumn 2015
DawnDirect
Keeping our farmer suppliers and customers informed
Market
Developments in
America
Dawn Meats CEO, Niall Browne and
senior management joined Minister
for Agriculture, Simon Coveney T.D. at
a number of engagements in Illinois
to promote Irish beef in the United
States. Minister Coveney’s visit aimed
to further promote Irish beef, following
the re-opening of the US market to Irish
exports earlier this year.
A high profile launch event was held at the
Chicago Cut Steakhouse, owned by Dubliner
Matt Moore and supplied with Dawn Meats
beef prepared by chef Cathal Armstrong
which was served to invited guests.
Dawn Meats also attended a joint meeting
with Doug Goare (President, International
Lead Markets) and Francesca diBiase (Chief
Supply Chain & Sustainability Office), who
hosted Minister Coveney and Bord Bia at
McDonald’s headquarters in Oak Brook to
further discuss the sustainability credentials
and potential for Irish beef within the
McDonald’s Global supply chain.
Dawn Meats CEO, Niall Browne said:
“Ireland, Dawn Meats and McDonald’s are
very much of one mind in our approach to
the sustainability challenge. We are pleased
to join Minister Coveney here today to
explore the opportunities to strengthen
this partnership in the months and years
ahead.”
Profile: Matthew Murphy
Farm Manager, Newford Herd, Athenry, Co. Galway
The man in charge of the Newford herd is Matthew Murphy. Matthew was born and
reared on a mixed tillage and livestock farm near Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. He completed
his green cert in Agriculture in 2013 in Teagasc, Kildalton and in January of this year,
took up a new position as Farm Manager on the newly established Newford Herd in
Athenry, Co. Galway.
Matthew has sole responsibility for the day to day
running of the herd and his duties include general
stock care, grassland budgeting and with the aim
of calving 100 cows in 2016, he has his work cut
out! Matthew also has a role in making sure the
various groups of visitors to Newford get the full
insight into what the project is aiming to achieve.
It’s been a busy few months on the farm with
calving the first priority for Matthew, but also
having to oversee the set-up of the paddocks and
water system on the farm, alongside getting to
grips with the basics of moving to a new area.
Matthew has also got some reseeding done and
has the silage in.
Commenting on his new role Matthew said: “I
am delighted to be working on this project and
I am really glad I have chosen agriculture as my
career path. No day is the same in my job and I
get a real kick out of seeing stock perform well.”
In terms of the herd itself the bull calves are
growing at 1.22kg per day and the heifer calves
at 1.19kg per day. The bulls were removed on
July 30th and 86% of the cows scanned in calf
after 9 weeks breeding and the calving spread is
predictive as 12 weeks next spring.
All calves were faecal tested for stomach and lung
worms in August with the results
coming back well below
required dosing levels.
Matthew will be
present at our stand
at The Ploughing
Championships in
Laois to engage with
those interested in
this exciting project
which has seen over
300 discussion group
farmers visit our suckler
demonstration farm
already this year.
‘Ich bin ein Ire’
Encouraged by the very positive reaction from
their north German customers of Dawn Meats
quality assured Irish beef, German retailer Coop
Kiel sent a happy couple to Waterford to find out
more for themselves about what makes our Irish
beef unique.
Over their short visit Olaf and Verena Hansen immersed
themselves in all things Irish beef, learning about our
extensive grass fed cattle systems, our temperate climate
and the natural beauty of our landscape on farms like that
of Tom and Bridget Murphy in Portlaw, Co. Waterford.
Having enjoyed the delights of Bridget’s home cooking,
they treated themselves to a great steak in the evening
and concluded that “Alles klar” with succulent Irish beef.
DawnDirect
Grass – Your Health, Your Future
by Dr. Vanessa Woods, Agri Aware
With a greater focus on healthy eating and food provenance for a growing world
population, to reach nine billion people by 2050, food awareness and education, right
back to the farm, is of increasing interest and importance to the consumer.
Sustainable
Processing Ireland
Sustainable Processing Ireland
hosted a conference on 9th & 10th
September in the RDS, Dublin. Jack
Fahey, Environmental Manager of
Dawn Meats was one of twelve guest
speakers partaking in the conference, his
presentation was entitled: “Where Water
Meets Energy”.
The event brought together a collection
of technology and service companies
who have a hand in influencing
the Irish manufacturing sectors by
introducing cutting edge products for
Food, Pharmaceutical, ICT & MedTech
processing.
Over 100 companies provided
manufacturers with an environment to
openly discuss the challenges & benefits
of implementing the latest energy
efficiency systems, waste management,
water treatment and control of CO2
emissions.
Pictured: Jack Fahey speaking at the conference.
Health Week 2015
From the 12th – 16th of October Dawn
Meats will host Health Week 2015.
Aiming to increase awareness for
general health and wellbeing amongst
employees, customers and suppliers,
a variety of engaging activities will be
scheduled throughout the week.
Topics that will be covered during the
week across all sites will include; healthy
eating, heart health, hydration, diabetes,
and the effects of smoking and alcohol.
Pictured at the Tullamore Show (l-r): Dr Vanessa Woods, CEO, Agri-Aware, Paul Nolan, Group Development
Manager, Dawn Meats, and Richard Moern, Chairman, Agri-Aware.
We hear a lot about the benefits of grass-fed
produce in Ireland. We also hear about how
the food that comes from grass-fed animals
has a unique flavour, colour and taste and why
it allows Irish produce to be in huge demand
across the globe. However, does the consumer
really know what it is about grass-fed produce
that is so special and unique?
Some 80% of Ireland is covered in grass and
our cattle graze this grass for up to 300 days
each year. It is only during the colder winter
period, when the grass stops growing, that
our animals are housed where the main feed is
grass silage.
In some countries, animals can spend a lot
of their time in intensive feedlots. In Ireland,
our animals graze the lush green pastures for
the majority of their life. This is their natural
environment where they express their natural
behaviour, which is of paramount importance
to both farmers who produce the food and
consumers who eat it. This is what makes grassfed Irish food so unique.
Grass is naturally rich in a number of healthy
nutrients. Omega-3 fatty acids are healthy and
we often purchase supplements or food that
is fortified with omega-3 for this reason, often
at a significant premium. Conjugated Linoleic
Acid or CLA, is known as an essential fatty
acid that is found in ruminant (beef, cow and
sheep) products, such as meat. It is referred
to as ‘essential’, because we have to get these
fatty acids from our food, as our bodies cannot
manufacture them.
If we compare grass-fed meat for example, to
grain-fed meat, research shows that grass-fed
meat has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids
and CLA. Meat contains a mixture of fatty acids
in the fat, and many of these are considered
healthy fats. As such, eating grass-fed produce
can make a contribution to our requirement for
these ‘essential’ fatty acids.
Furthermore, grass-fed produce is also rich in
beta-carotene, which is a precursor to Vitamin
A. Vitamin A is required for growth and
development in humans, the maintenance of
our immune system and good vision. Grass-fed
meat and butter has a unique colour, flavour
and appearance due to beta-carotene coming
from the grass.
Another important nutrient that we all need in
our diet is Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant.
Research has shown that grass-fed animals
have higher levels of Vitamin E compared to
grain-fed animals.
The next time you eat Irish beef and lamb,
admire the colour and flavour and know why
it has this unique taste. When you next eat
grass-fed Irish meat, you will know why we are
so fortunate to have this unique product on
our doorstep, because our grass-fed produce
is natural and special and this is why it is in
demand all over the world.
Cooking the Perfect
Tomahawk Steak
Serves 2 – 3
Ingredients
• 1 Premium Butcher Tomahawk
Ribeye Steak
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
Method
• Preheat oven to 180°C.
•
Pat the steak dry with paper towels
then season very liberally with salt and
freshly ground pepper. Let the steak
come to room temperature.
•
Use a knife to trim off the top 1/4-inch
of the garlic head. Drizzle with olive oil,
then wrap in a foil tent, and roast the
garlic for 30 minutes, until the cloves
are soft. Remove from the oven and
allow to cool.
•
Moisten a paper towel and wrap it
around the steak’s rib bone, then wrap
aluminium foil around the moistened
paper towel. (This is an optional step
to give the bone a nice appearance, if
the entire steak is served for one diner.)
•
In a heavy skillet or oven-proof pan,
heat the olive oil over high heat
until it’s just starting to smoke. Lay the
Tomahawk steak into the skillet and
sear for 1 minute.
• Lower the heat to medium-high
and cook the steak 5 minutes, without
touching it.
• Turn the steak over by using the
bone as a handle and cook for another
3 minutes. Transfer the steak to a
Tullamore Show
Dawn Meats were once again
delighted to be involved with the
National Livestock Show.
baking tray and place in the oven,
roasting for 10 minutes.
(Note the meat will continue to
cook while it rests and increase by
5-10 degrees.)
•
While the steak is cooking, add the
butter to the skillet and melt over
medium heat. Squeeze the roasted
garlic cloves into the butter, stirring
with a wooden spoon to distribute,
then add the thyme sprigs.
•
When the steak is ready, take it out
of the oven, and transfer it back to the
skillet. Use a spoon to baste the butter
and garlic over the steak. Turn the
steak, and baste again. Transfer the
steak to a cutting board, and let it rest
10 minutes.
• If you’ve wrapped the bone in the
optional paper towel and foil, remove
it now.
• Carve the steak, then drizzle with more
of the butter and garlic.
Dawn Meats Procurement Contacts
Peter Quinn
Paul Mullaney
Conor Howley
John Neville
Micheál Murphy
Sean Behan
Kevin Cullinane
Walter Cleary
Anthony Dowd
Noel McDonnell
Declan Keely
Roger Ryan
Meadow Meats, Rathdowney
Dawn Charleville
Dawn Charleville
Dawn Grannagh/Charleville
Dawn Grannagh/Charleville
Dawn Grannagh
Dawn Grannagh
Dawn Grannagh Dawn Ballyhaunis Beef
Dawn Ballyhaunis Beef
Dawn Ballyhaunis Beef & Lamb
Dawn Ballyhaunis Lamb
086 2611816
087 9614323
087 9113953
087 2232469
086 2456413
087 2561836
087 4192123
087 7382295
087 2625090
087 2576634
087 2244681
087 2534327
We were triply involved on the day
with our ‘Meet and Greet’ marquee,
sponsorship of the commercial heifer
class which had a record 28 entries
and our Premium Butcher talk and
demonstration which saw our Paul
Nolan go back to his family butcher
roots advising the audience about
cooking brisket beef.
Waterford
Harvest Festival
Dawn Meats were busy promoting
Waterford’s Harvest Festival which
is chaired by Paul Nolan. This year’s
festival was a great success which
welcomed over 30,000 visitors to enjoy
the city and its proud food heritage.
Exhibitors at the festival included Dawn
Grannagh’s, Halles Soares Santana who
along with his son Pheilipe (pictured
below) offered a taste of Irish beef,
Brazilian style.
DawnDirect
Anuga 2015
Dawn Meats will bring the best of Irish
beef and lamb produce to Anuga 2015
in Cologne from Oct 10-14th to increase
awareness and develop export markets for
Irish beef and lamb.
Anuga, is the world’s leading food fair for the
retail trade and the foodservice and catering
market and is attended by buyers from
around the globe. Primarily an exhibition
for gaining potential new business, it also
provides a suitable platform for meeting with
existing customers helping to strengthen
customer relationships.
Dawn Meats will showcase Irish beef and
lamb produce alongside exhibitors from
over 100 countries to win the attention of
international customers in both retail and
food services.
With the high standards of stockmanship
and farm assurance of our farmer suppliers,
our production and processing skills and
our reputation for producing high quality
product, Dawn Meats is well equipped
to meet the needs of the international
marketplace.
Please visit us on our stand Hall 6 B04.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Great Taste Awards 2015
Dawn Meats awarded 10 Stars and a place in the
Top 50 Foods of 2015 at Great Taste Awards 2015
Dawn Meats was awarded 3 Gold Stars for its West Country Choice Tomahawk Rib Steak,
which was also recognised by the judging panel with a place on the Top 50 Foods of 2015
list. Comments from the judging panel included “a beautiful piece of beef with wonderful
fat running through the grain. Good depth of flavour, but also very delicate.” “The meat
is succulent and juicy, the fat is creamy.”
Other products from Dawn Meats to achieve Gold Star status in 2015
included:
•
Extra Matured Flat Iron Steak •
Salt Marsh Lamb French Rack Cap-On
•
Salt Marsh Lamb Chump
•
Salt Marsh Lamb Striploin The Great Taste Awards received over 10,000 entries this year, with only
130 products awarded 3 Gold Stars.
Commenting on the awards, CEO of Dawn Meats, Niall Browne said, “Well done to the Dawn teams
who through their dedication and care for our products ensure our customers consistently enjoy great
tasting beef and lamb. We are very proud to be the recipients of 10 stars again this year, and it provides
further verification of Dawn Meats as a producer of premium products that are exceptional in quality,
sustainably produced and outstanding in taste.”
Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for speciality food
and drink. It has been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world and the ‘epicurean equivalent of the
Booker prize’.
The Big Grill Festival
The Premium Butcher took its roadshow to Dublin’s ‘Big
Grill Festival’ in Herbert Park Ballsbridge in August.
Our offer consisted of premium quality assured Irish beef and
lamb which was well received. Our visitors, including Ireland’s
rugby star Jamie Heaslip were directed to our new Dublin outlet
at Ballymount where, we were informed Leinster’s new boss Leo
Cullen is already a regular.
Pictured: Jamie Heaslip beefing it up with Mick Russell of
The Premium Butcher Ballymount.
McDonald’s Ireland Launches The McMór
Iverk Show
The gods smiled as Piltown escaped
most of the rain seen in the region and
attracted large crowds who enjoyed their
day as Irelands oldest agricultural show
which is running since 1826.
Sean Behan and Kevin Cullinane representing
our local procurement office hosted our
suppliers who called to our marquee on the
day.
Congratulations to John Fitzpatrick for a job
well done in judging our highly competitive
livestock class.
A new limited edition Irish burger has been unveiled by McDonald’s Ireland. The McMór
burger is McDonald’s tribute to the best produce and finest flavours from across Ireland.
Inside the potato-flaked bun is 100% Irish beef provided by Dawn Meats and 100% Irish
Bacon from Dew Valley, layered with shredded cabbage, whole baby leaf kale, alongside
Charleville Cheddar from Kerry and Ballymaloe Relish.
The McMór was created by McDonald’s Ireland Chefs
Council, which held its first meeting in May 2014, with
the view to developing an authentic local burger with
real Irish flavours at its heart. Speaking at the launch
Dermott Slade, Head Development Chef Dawn Meats
said “The Chefs Council has put a huge amount of
work into the development of this new product and it’s
made with the very finest Irish ingredients. All of the
beef and bacon used in McDonald’s burgers in Ireland
is 100% Irish, and now with the addition of the much
loved Ballymaloe Relish and Charleville Cheese brands
in the one burger, it’s sure to be a hit with customers”.
The McMór is available in all 88 McDonald’s
restaurants across Ireland from Wednesday 2nd
September for a six week period only.