Dan Browne, a joint founder of Dawn Meats, has died at the age of 88.

Originally from a farming background in Douglas, Co Cork, Browne studied agricultural science and his career began in dairy husbandry research with An Foras Talúntais, the agricultural research institute that later became Teagasc.

He worked at its research facilities at Moorepark, outside Fermoy and his work there, in conjunction with Michael Walshe and several colleagues, including Pat Dillon, laid the foundation for the development at farm level of the Irish dairy industry.

He was the third scientist to be recruited to Moorepark and was central in building a world-class centre there over the following 15 years. In 1974, Mr Browne left the world of research and joined the meat industry, becoming Manager of the Cork Marts — IMP plant at Midleton.

In 1980 Browne founded Dawn Meats with John Queally and the late Peter Queally, who passed away in 2023.

Browne served as managing director of the company, a position he held for 27 years until 2007. He oversaw a number of acquisitions in Ireland and the UK, including Meadow Meats, and processing factories in Ballyhaunis and Charleville.

Today, Dawn Meats is today one of Europe’s leading meat processing companies, with €3bn in annual revenue, employing over 8,000 staff in 12 countries. Trading as Dunbia in the UK and Dawn Meats in Ireland, the combined businesses process approximately 1m cattle and 3.5m sheep annually.

Prior to establishing Dawn Meats, Dan Browne was manager of the Cork Marts - Irish Meat Packers (IMP) plant in Midleton.

He chaired the board of Teagasc from 1993 to 1998 and also served as a chair of Bord Bia from 2008 to 2011, in addition to being chair of Waterford Airport since 2010.

Pioneering figure

The board of Dawn Meats has expressed its deepest condolences to Mr Browne’s wife, Kay, and his family at this difficult time. It described him as a pioneering figure in Irish agriculture and a remarkable leader and visionary who made an outstanding contribution to the Irish agri-food industry, and the meat industry in particular.

“He was also a valued member of the board of Dawn Meats and through his wise counsel, he continued to play a key role in the further success of the company.

Through his work at Dawn Meats and his wider contribution to agriculture and the agri-food industry, Mr Browne leaves a lasting legacy and he will be greatly missed,” the company said in a statement.

Leadership

In 2011, Dan Browne was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from UCD, where he had previously studied, in recognition of his vision, leadership, innovation and outstanding contribution to agricultural developments.

He is survived by his wife Kay, children Paddy, Aoidin, Colm, Niall and 10 grandchildren. Niall has served as chief executive of Dawn Meats since 2007.