The manufacturer confirmed his death as a result of the accident on the evening of Sunday 2 May. Local police said they had attended a report of the sudden death of a man at Crossgar Road, Killyleagh just after 9pm and that the death was not treated as suspicious.
Non-executive director David Manning has been appointed interim-chairman with immediate effect, while non-executive director Colin Walsh has been appointed interim deputy-chairman. The senior management team will lead the business on a day-to-day basis.
Vision and passion
In a statement, Finnebrogue paid tribute to Lynn’s achievements, vision and passion for delivering positive change for the planet and its people.
“Finnebrogue was his creation,” said the statement. “It now falls on all of us – the Finnebrogue family – to continue his outstanding work.
“Denis was our founder, leader and inspiration. We will best honour his memory by invoking his passion for making food the best it can possibly be, without being bound by the way it’s always been done – and by trying every day to make the world a better place.”
Lynn is survived by his Wife Christine and his children Kerry, Clare, Tara and Ciara.
Deer farmer
Established in 1985, Lynn started the business after buying the Finnebrogue estate and becoming the UK’s largest deer farmer almost overnight.
Finnebrogue launched its first sausages in 2005 and has since gone on to supply a number of the UK’s biggest retailers. In 2018, the producer championed the reduction of nitrites in bacon products with the launch of its nitrite-free Naked range.
More recently, the company has expanded into the plant-based meat alternatives market with the launch of a number of products aimed at flexitarians, including its “made without the moo” burgers, meatballs and mince. In 2020, Finnebrogue won Large Meat, Poultry & Seafood Manufacturing Company of the Year at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards.