Kepak Group’s livestock procurement manager, Jonathan Forbes, is set to depart from his role at Kepak Group.
The announcement was made today, Friday, January 31. The Westmeath man departs the role after almost 15 years of service to the company and had previously worked as head of cattle procurement at Liffey Meats for 10 years.
The outgoing Kepak procurement boss has been a major player in the Irish livestock business for the past 25 years.
In his role at Kepak, Forbes oversaw the purchase of approximately 280,000 cattle/year as well as 650,000 sheep for Kepak’s operations in Ireland.
Forbes also managed the Kepak farm in Clonee, Co. Meath, which finishes 3,500-4,000 cattle/year.
Kepak processes approximately 500,000 cattle, 1.7 million sheep, and almost 400,000 pigs across its UK and Irish operations.
CEO of Kepak’s Meat Division Ireland Brian Tormey said: “We would like to express our sincere thanks to Jonathan as he departs Kepak.
“For the past 15 years, Jonathan has been integral to our Procurement and Agriculture team, playing a pivotal role in shaping our business and strengthening our relationships within the farming community.
“His deep industry knowledge, dedication, and passion for the sector have made a lasting impact, and we sincerely appreciate his contributions”.
Kepak Group is a family-owned meat company which grew from the establishment of a butcher shop in Dublin in 1966.
Kepak has grown significantly and today the group has a turnover of €1.8 billion and employs over 4,500 people.
It operates 13 manufacturing facilities throughout Ireland and the UK with sales offices in Europe, the US and Asia.
The group markets a broad range of fresh and value-added meat products serving the foodservice and retail market with brands including: Big Al’s; Rustlers; Crafty Chef and John Stone.