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Most people involved in Irish farming will know of Pritchitts, the Northern Irish dairy business now owned by Lakeland Dairies and – they will also know of Volac. Both companies were owned by a remarkable man – the late Dick Lawes – who also set up the milk plant at Killeshandra.
In addition, he founded the now huge plant in Ballaghaderreen, the main dairy processing plant operated by Aurivo, formerly Connacht Gold.
Lawes sold the Ballaghaderreen plant to the three co-ops that made up NCF in 1974 but his involvement in the dairy industry continued.
In the 1980s, he backed the emergence of big baled silage
He was one of the first to realise that milk processing for butter and cheese produced what were then regarded as waste products but could in fact be transformed into innovative and profitable products.
Skim powder with vegetable fat added and whey now used in sports nutrition are the key ones but he also produced Megalac, a ruminant-protected fat.
In the 1980s, he backed the emergence of big baled silage. Wrapped in plastic, it let the smallest farmer, on difficult land, make good silage that was portable and easily stored. From there, he branched out into biologic silage additives and bought the market leader, Ecosyl.
Like their near neighbour Larry Goodman, they were badly affected by the Iraq war but survived and grew
A new book on Lawes goes into the history of Pritchitts, the development of ice cream making technology and the bitter relationship with the UK milk marketing board over the use of vegetable oils as a replacement for dairy fat.
There are some useful pointers for today’s controversies over “veggie burgers” and “almond milk”.
Lawes and his team at their peak had three major dairy manufacturing plants and developed markets worldwide.
Like their near neighbour Larry Goodman, they were badly affected by the Iraq war but survived and grew.
Volac still continues and thrives in Lawes family ownership
A less successful venture was the establishment of a welfare-friendly non-crate-using veal business. It was a logical effort to use available raw materials – dairy-bred bull calves and cheap, pre-quota skim powder. But Volac still continues and thrives in Lawes family ownership.
The book on Dick Lawes by Nigel Watson has just been published by St Matthew’s Press for Woodford Holdings Ltd.
It is a pity there are not similar histories of other innovative agri business dynasties.
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