Protein producer and red meat exporter to the United States, New Zealand’s Silver Fern Farms, has appointed Dan Boulton as its new chief executive.

Boulton has been the company’s chief supply chain officer for six years and brings a strong primary industry set of experiences in operations, procurement, executive management and commercial leadership. His previous roles have been in seafood, horticulture and forestry.

Boulton commences the role in February. He replaces Simon Limmer, chief exeuctive of the company for the past five years and the initiator of its sustainability efforts across its cooperative farms and 14 processing plants. He has joined wine producer and exporter Indevin Group.  

With its origins dating back 75 years as a small farmer cooperative, Silver Fern Farms has grown to become New Zealand's largest grass-fed lamb, beef and venison producer in partnership with 16,000 farmers, exporting to over 60 countries. New Zealand is the fourth-largest international supplier of meat to the U.S. food market.

In 2022 Silver Fern Farms launched its Net Carbon Zero by Nature Angus beef range across the U.S. The company’s products are available in over 1,600 stores nationwide, on their e-commerce site and at Costo.com. Its last reported annual revenue was over $1.6 billion.

Dan Boulton said Silver Fern Farms is highly committed to being a red meat leader in the U.S. “Our net carbon zero by nature products are entirely aligned with consumer demand for sustainable products that offer taste and nutrition,” he said.

Source: Silver Fern Farms