Dawn Meats has reported a 77% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions across its operations in Ireland and the UK.
The figure, which represents an improvement on the 63% reported in 2024, was achieved over a seven-year period from 2018 to 2025 as part of the company’s €100m-plus Plan Four Zero sustainability strategy. The strategy includes a target of reaching operational Net Zero by 2050.
The latest figures are contained in Dawn Meats’ Plan Four Zero Corporate Sustainability Report 2025. The report also shows an 8.8% reduction per tonne of finished product in Scope 3 emissions intensity, driven primarily by a reduction in farm carbon footprints and an increase in product yield from finished cattle.
The weighted average carbon footprint of beef from Irish farms supplying Dawn Meats decreased by 3.1%. In the UK, the weighted average carbon footprint of beef and lamb from farms supplying Dunbia decreased by 7.5% and 3.3%, respectively.
A total of 240 farms now participate in Dawn Meats’ Activate Ireland sustainability programme, while 631 have signed up to Activate UK. In Ireland and the UK, 58% of Dawn Meats’ cattle suppliers are now covered by emissions monitoring programmes.
The update covers 2025 in full and relates to Dawn Meats’ operations in Ireland and the UK, where the company trades as Dunbia.
Dawn Meats acquired a 65% shareholding in New Zealand-based Alliance Group in late 2025. Alliance’s operations are not included in the latest update and are currently being integrated into Dawn Meats’ Plan Four Zero programme.
Niall Browne, Chief Executive of Dawn Meats, said the company continues to collaborate with industry and supply chain partners to reduce emissions and achieve new sustainability goals.
“We continue to adapt and invest in Plan Four Zero, ensuring it is fit for the future,” he said.
Sustainability Director Gill Higgins said the reduction in emissions, energy and water savings achieved demonstrates how individual initiatives and capital expenditure projects are contributing to the company’s overall goals.
The company’s climate target is to reduce Scope 3 emissions intensity by 28% per tonne of finished product by 2030. Emissions from the sourcing of live cattle and sheep from around 30,000 regular farmer suppliers across Ireland and the UK, along with other meat products, account for 95% of Dawn Meats’ total emissions.
From 2018 to the end of 2025, the company achieved an 8.8% reduction in emissions intensity per tonne of finished product. Farm carbon footprints are undertaken every 18–24 months, with farmers receiving feedback reports outlining emissions sources and recommended actions and practice changes.
In Ireland, 95.6% of beef supplied is covered by a carbon footprint calculated using primary farm data and the Bord Bia PAS2050 certified tool. In 2025, Dawn Meats sourced 95.6% of cattle and 62.2% of lambs from farms that are members of the Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.
In the UK, 99.5% of cattle and 93.7% of lambs were sourced from UK Assured Farms in 2025.
Dawn Meats also reported progress on energy and water use. All of the company’s electricity requirements across the UK and Ireland have been procured from renewable sources since 2020.
In 2025, 18 capital expenditure projects and system upgrades saved 7.8 million kWh of energy per year. Since 2016, Dawn Meats has saved enough energy to power 24,874 homes for a year.
The company also saved 115,700 cubic metres of water in 2025 through capital expenditure projects and system upgrades. Since 2016, total water savings have reached 3.28 million cubic metres, equivalent to 1,314 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Dawn Meats has been a zero waste to landfill business since 2016. In 2025, the company implemented 20 waste initiatives, with 68% of waste being recycled, reused or recovered. Food waste from production as a percentage of finished product remained consistently below 1%.
