Larry Goodman
| Larry Goodman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Laurence Goodman 1937 Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's College (Marist College), Dundalk |
| Net worth | €706 million (2015) |
| Spouse(s) | Kitty |
| Children | Laurence, Mark |
Laurence "Larry" Goodman (born 15 September 1937) is an Irish businessman, chiefly involved in the beef industry. His companies attracted controversy in the 1991 Beef Tribunal and the 2013 horse meat contamination scandal.
Goodman was born in County Louth. He left school before finishing his Intermediate Certificate, and followed his father into the meat industry, starting with meat by-products and sheep. He was "born to a well off family who had been in the meat business for six generations". He lives with his wife Kitty at Castlebellingham, County Louth. He has two sons, Laurence and Mark. His brother Peter Goodman worked as deputy chairman of Goodman International and his other brother Michael was a farmer in County Louth.
In the late 1960s Goodman bought Anglo-Irish Meats in Dundalk, which put him into the processing industry in a substantial way. He then began exporting, building up contacts in the Middle East in particular. He sold meat to Libya, Iran, Iraq and Egypt – often going himself as salesman. He was on the advisory committee for HSBC's opening of operations in Ireland in 1979, along with Dermot Nolan, Michael Carvill and Peter Hutson. In April 1980 Anglo Irish Meat Group purchased a meat plant at Bagenalstown, County Carlow from Meade-Lonsdale for around £2.2m.
In June 1980 it was announced that Goodman would invest £10m for a new meat plant in Ardee, County Louth, employing 360 people "when it reaches full production". It also announced an additional £10m investment to expand operations at Cahir, Nenagh and Bagenalstown. In October 1980, Goodman bought Fermanagh Meats in Enniskillen for about £1.5m. The plant employed 60 people and processed about 1,000 head of cattle a week. By this time Goodman's meat empire was turning over about £100m a year.
In July 1981 it was announced that the IDA would put £2m towards the £9m expansion of Goodman's plants. One of his companies, Irish Agricultural Feed Co also built a feed manufacturing facility at Castlebellingham, and a complex to "over-winter up to 15,000 cattle to boost supplies to the factories at a time when few cattle are finished for slaughter". The complex "was the result of 14 years research" and cost £2m. By this time Anglo Irish Group employed some 700 people and turnover had reached £120m per year.
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