Tim Dunne
Mitchelstown, Co Cork
For Tim Dunne, treating his Angus animals like family is a natural part of his duty as a farmer. He is passionate about protecting the breed due to its many special qualities. According to Tim, the rewards for farming Angus are its ease of care, sustainability and of course the great flavour of the beef.
Tim Dunne has been farming beef in Mitchelstown, Co Cork for more than 40 years. Over this time, he has grown to treasure Angus above other breeds. For him, there are special qualities that set this pedigree stock, along with the beef they produce, apart. Along with being renowned for their longevity, they are excellent grazers, whose foraging habits elevate the quality and flavour of the beef they produce.
Tim is chairman of the Irish Angus Producer Group and has played a key role in the development of the Certified Irish Angus Beef brand.
Angus cattle are well known for their sustainability and their survivability. They will find grasses, they will find herbs, where, maybe, the ordinary animal would not and this is reflected in the taste.
“Angus cattle are well known for their sustainability and their survivability. They will find grasses, they will find herbs, where, maybe, the ordinary animal would not and this is reflected in the taste.” Tim cherishes his farmer role and he is driven by the duty-of-care obligations invested in him, particularly in regard to his animals. He says, “A priority always, in my estimate, was that our animals would be farmed well; that they would be minded. Farmers have this facility more than a lot of people think. They actually mind their cattle as well as their family. They regard them almost as family.”
For Tim, there is no better career than being a farmer. He says, “My involvement in farming has, for me, been wonderful. I don’t think there is a better life. Is there any greater joy than to walk down the fields in the morning early, and make a track on the dew as you travel down your fields and listen to nature?”