A valuable insight into how sustainability can be improved across the beef supply chain is the focus of Sarah Haire’s presentation at the BCBC conference.

Sarah is Head of Agriculture at Dawn Meats/Dunbia which has had sustainability at the heart of its business strategy for over 10 years. Working across the entire supply chain, Sarah’s role has involved collaborating with industry bodies such as ERBS and UKCSP, to ensure that products deliver against consumers’ growing expectations while also supporting farms in creating a thriving agricultural sector.

As Chair of the UK Cattle Sustainability Platform, Sarah is responsible for setting and implementing its direction and strategy. The Platform was established to facilitate collaboration and build scale with many diverse initiatives on beef sustainability across the UK beef industry. It brings together farmer representatives, processors, retailers and support agencies working towards common goals.

Sarah is also a Nuffield scholar and her report, “Beef marketing and product differentiation: Opportunities for producers?” provided great insight into some of the challenges and opportunities the beef industry faces after its publication in 2007. One of the report’s conclusions was that the UK beef industry must not be afraid to learn – advice that may be more pertinent now than ever.

Since graduating from Harper Adams University with a BSc in Agricultural Marketing and an MSc in Food Marketing Sarah has amassed almost 20 years’ experience in the meat industry. Her CV includes roles with Assured British Meats and Hilton Meats Retail, before she joined Dawn Meats as Group Agriculture Manager in 2011 and took up the role of Head of Agriculture in January 2020.