On Friday 24th April, we welcomed a gathering of 15 of Dovecote Park’s Highland cattle producers and Highland Cattle Society members to our Stapleton site for a scheme meeting and factory tour.

 The day began with a gathering in the conference room, where the producers along with representatives of the Highland Cattle Society and several members of the Livestock team met for an update on our Highland scheme and a focus into areas of improvement for the future.

With the Highland scheme seeing its seventh year at Christmas, having rapidly expanded since the launch in 2006, it was highly valuable to reflect on the scheme and emphasise the importance of the scheme standards.


Additionally, for many of our Highland producers, it was the first time they had seen Dovecote Park operations first hand, giving them an insight into the care and attention we dedicate to the animals they rear for us.  

Following the meeting, the producers were then kitted up and taken on a ‘back to front’ tour of the factory, starting with racking and then looking through despatch, retail, boning hall, abattoir and finally seeing the housing and handling facilities in the lairage.

Finally, the producers were taken into the Dovecote Park restaurant, where they were treated to a Highland beef burger, an opportunity for them to sample the end product of all their hard work.


The day was a great opportunity for Dovecote Park to look into the future of the Highland scheme and we would like to thank the producers and society members for taking the time to attend.

Hazel Baxter, Breed Secretary for the Highland Cattle Society said: 

‘It was tremendous to see first-hand the excellent standards and the procedures carried out at Dovecote Park from start to finish.  The welfare of the animals is obviously paramount which is a very important point for any Highland cattle producer.’