Explained: Why Princess Anne was in Saltcoats

These were upgraded following a £12 million investment which includes upgrades to the abattoir and cutting areas at the Saltcoats plant, will support the long-term expansion of Highland Meats which employs over 320 staff. 

The Princess Royal is President of the Scotch Beef Club which explains her attendance at the event.

The investment was supported by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government, in a commitment to the long-term future of the plant and the wider meat processing sector which is worth over £1bn to the Scottish economy.

READ MORE: New academy for aspiring butchers is launched in Saltcoats

Dawn Meats has been involved in Scotland since it acquired Highland Meats in 1986. Niall Browne, CEO of the Dawn Meat's which is parent company to Dunbia, commented on Princess Anne's visit.

He said:“It is an honour to host Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at Highland Meats, and we thank her along with representatives from Quality Meat Scotland, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, local producer suppliers and customers for joining us in the opening of our upgraded facility.

"Dawn Meats has had a strong presence in Scotland for over 35 years and we look forward to enhancing the relationships we have built with the community, customers, and suppliers, which this investment at Dunbia Highland Meats will allow us to achieve.”

Jane McHarg, General Manager at Highland Meats, added: "This investment, with support from Scottish Enterprise, is part of our ongoing commitment to Highland Meats and the wider Scottish meat industry.

"We are immensely proud to have a strong network of local producers who allow us to offer the highest quality Scotch Beef PGI products to our customers.

"We are confident that this investment will underpin further expansion of our Scottish beef business.”