Dunbia and the Tyrone Quality Livestock Producer Group (TQL) have scooped the NI Food and Drinks (NIFDA) Award for Supply Chain Excellence.
Beating off stiff competition from across the agri-food industry, the Dunbia/TQL partnership was lauded by the judges as “an excellent example of the creation of a sustainable and profitable supply chain for the shareholders involved.”
The Dunbia/TQL Producer Group was established in 2005 with an overall aim to create an efficient, sustainable and profitable supply chain which benefits all parties. A focus on developing closer links with the retailers to understand what the consumer wants and to encourage farmers produce in-spec livestock now means that 91% of lambs presented by the TQL Group to Dunbia are in-spec in comparison to a national average of 45%.
Speaking as he accepted the award Jack Dobson, Executive Director, Dunbia commented: “Dunbia’s ethos is to work in partnership with our farmers to create a sustainable and profitable supply chain for everyone and we are delighted that this approach has been recognised by NIFDA and DAERA. I accept the Supply Chain Excellence award on behalf of Dunbia’s Agricultural Team and the excellent producers in the TQL Group. It is through successful partnerships like this that we will secure the long-term future of our industry.”
The award was sponsored and judged DAERA. Mrs Louise Millsopp, Head of Supply Chain Development Branch at DAERA commended Dunbia and TQL on their partnership: “The Dunbia/TQL partnership is a very worthy winner of the DAERA Supply Chain Excellence Award in 2017 representing a very well integrated supply chain with close links between producers, Dunbia and retailers with benefits across the chain. For producers the initiative has helped create access to a wider marketplace, encouraged data driven production, led to genetic improvements, allowed sharing of information and significantly increased the number of in-spec lambs supplied to Dunbia while the processor has benefited from a more consistent, higher quality lamb supply and a reduction in waste due to over fat carcasses. Through this producer group retail customers have been able to communicate market information along the supply chain helping to ensure a consistent supply of quality product. This initiative clearly demonstrates the benefits to be had from supply chains where all players communicate effectively and work together.”
This is the second time that Dunbia has won the NIFDA Supply Chain Excellence Award having won it is 2015 with the Co-op for the Hereford Beef Scheme.
