Solutions to deliver sustainable beef production webinar

The online event has been specifically tailored for farmers and will concentrate on solutions that can be employed to further increase the sustainability of the beef industry in Northern Ireland (NI).

Webinar speakers:

Ian Stevenson (chair) LMC chief executive

Ian Stevenson is chief executive of LMC for NI, a position he has held for 10 years. He has over 25 years’ professional experience working in the NI agri-food industry including 10 years representing farmers as a senior policy officer at the UFU and five years as a farm technical adviser for Moy Park.

LMC is a statutory organisation funded by levies collected from beef and sheep producers and slaughterers in NI, which LMC uses to provide a range of services to support, examine and inform the marketing and development of the industry. LMC also advises its sponsor body, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on matters relating to the beef and lamb sector.

Ian is chairman of the NI beef and lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (FQAS) which LMC owns and manages on behalf of the beef and sheep meat industry. It currently has over 12,000 participating members.

Sarah Haire head of agriculture Dawn Meats Group

Sarah Haire has worked in the agri-food industry for over 20 years across various areas including production agriculture, NGO’s, retailing, animal welfare and meat production. Sarah is now head of agriculture for the Dawn Meats Group which encompasses a varied workstream across Dawn Meats and Dunbia business. This ranges from customer liaison on agricultural matters, all aspects of animal welfare from farm to factory, as well as agri-based projects looking at sustainable beef and lamb production in the UK and Ireland.

Sarah is currently chair of the UK cattle sustainability platform which is a collaboration of retailers, processors, farmer groups and industry experts seeking to bring clarity to the sustainability discussions and share common goals. Sarah is the immediate past chair of the European roundtable for sustainable beef and sits on the Red Tractor beef and lamb technical committee.

Sarah has a BSc (Hons) in agriculture with agricultural marketing, an MSc in food marketing and quality from Harper Adams University, and received a Nuffield Farming Trust Scholarship in 2007. Sarah, along with her husband William and five-year-old daughter, are also beef and sheep farmers. They have a small herd of Pedigree Hereford and cross bred Hereford cows, running alongside a small flock of Wiltshire horn sheep and three token Berkshire pigs!

Colin Smith, LMC industry development manager

Colin has been industry development manager with LMC since 2012. He has overall responsibility for a wide range of business activities from the NI beef and lamb FQAS to LMC’s sustainability activity. In 2018 Colin joined the board of animal health and welfare NI.

Colin is a graduate of the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and after returning to NI, worked as a policy officer and senior policy officer with the UFU for five years covering animal health, pigs, poultry, rural enterprise and rural development portfolios. Colin has also completed an advanced diploma in management practice from the University of Ulster.

A former vice president of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster, Colin has a passion for food and agriculture. He thoroughly enjoys all sports, particularly rugby and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Sam Chesney, farmer

Sam Chesney is from Kircubbin, Co Down, where he farms 200 acres running a 130 cow suckler herd with bulls chosen for their high genetic merit. He has 100 commercial ewes and in addition, manages over 50 Blade integrated beef calves. 

Sam is a member of the Mid Ards UFU Group, is the immediate past chairman of the UFU beef and lamb committee and hopes to stand for deputy president next year. Sam has two children - Robert who works part-time with him on the farm and as a fireman, and Lauren who is finishing a PhD at AFBI. Sam’s partner works locally in the health service.

Sam is a member of NBA NI region, Strangford Down Co-op and the AFG buying group. Previously, he has been involved with Ballywalter Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) and is currently a vice president of the club and a YFC ambassador.  

Sam is a former chairman of the Agrisearch beef committee and has been a co-researcher with AFBI on several farm projects. More recently, he has been involved in an EIP project looking at the use of herbal leys. His farm is one of CAFRE’s technology demonstration farms.

Sam’s farming enterprise has been recognised on several occasions. He was the UK beef farmer of the year in 2011, Ulster Grassland farmer of the year in 2011 and 2013, runner up as British Grassland farmer of the year in 2012, and Grassland manager of the year in 2020. Sam was also Danske Bank beef farmer of the year and quality assurance farmer of the year in 2013. In 2021, he was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Society.

Conall Donnelly CEO NIMEA

Conall Donnelly is chief executive of NIMEA, a trade body that represents beef and lamb processors across 11 NI sites.

NIMEA supports the beef and lamb industry on technical, economic and supply chain issues and its members have significant processing interests right across the British Isles, with several key players headquartered in NI.

Conall is involved in developing the organisation’s position on a variety of technical and policy areas including trade, access to labour and agriculture policy.

To register for the event, visit the following link www.ufuni.org/events or contact UFU HQ 028 9037 0222.