Achievement award in Northern Ireland for Dunbia founder

Dunbia co-founder Jack Dobson has won a major award in Northern Ireland for his lifelong contribution to the farming and food industry.

Mr Dobson, who started the beef processing business in 1976 with brother, Jim, gained the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Farming Life/Danske Bank Farming and Food Awards.

The business, now known as Dunbia, is headquartered in Dungannon, county Tyrone and is one of the biggest meat processors in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is now part of a joint venture business with Dawn Meats in the Republic of Ireland.

Dunbia is also now Northern Ireland's second biggest food processing business after Moy Park, the leading poultry business.

Mr Dobson left school at the age of 15 and joined his father buying and selling cattle in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

When he was just 18 he bought a £995 cattle lorry and, spotting an opportunity in butchery, he turned a small, family butcher shop, established in 1976, into what was to become the largest meat processing company across the UK and Ireland.

Dunbia processes beef, pork and lamb for some of Europe's largest retailers, foodservice, commercial and manufacturing companies and is now trading in over 36 countries worldwide.

The company has a supplier base of almost 25,000 farmers, and various international offices.