ABP, the UK and Ireland’s largest beef processor, has taken a minority share in Waitrose’s exclusive beef, veal and venison supplier Dovecote Park.
The butchery group bought out co-owner and longtime Dovecote park director Amanda Buitelaar, who had been with the business for more than 25 years.
New filings to Companies House showed Buitelaar departed the company in late April, relinquishing her share of ownership in Extra Detail Ltd, Dovecote’s parent company. She had owned more than 25% of the business.
Dovecote’s other directors and co-owners, chairman David Gunner and CEO Richard Canvin, remain with the business and will continue to run it independently.
The pair were joined on the Dovecote board in mid-June by ABP veteran and director Tom Kirwan, who led the group’s UK and Ireland business as managing director for a decade. He has sat on the ABP board since 2020.
The transaction was completed by a buyout of Buitelaar’s holding company, Benoni Corporation.
“The acquisition of Benoni represents a long-term strategic investment for the ABP Group,” said a spokeswoman for Dovecote Park.
“Benoni, as a minority shareholder, will be supportive of the group’s strategic direction, whilst maintaining the policy of acknowledging the current board and management team’s independent ability and authority to grow and develop the Dovecote Park business.”
ABP declined to comment.
Profits at Dovecote Park dropped in its most recent set of annual results, which accounted for the year to 26 September 2025.
While turnover grew 23.2% to £347m, the increase largely came from efforts to recover costs from rampant inflation in the beef supply chain.
Pre-tax profits declined 18.6% to £3.6m.
Directors were scathing of government policy in the accounts’ strategic report, criticising schemes for environmental gains, animal welfare, and lower carbon emissions as a “deterrent to beef production”.
“Government should recognise the genuine threat to food security, reappraise their commitment to net zero targets and adopt a more pragmatic and less target-based approach,” they said.
“The very real decline in livestock numbers is in itself a serious threat to the nations’ food security.”
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