NI Food Chain Certification Pays Tribute to Retiring CEO
NIFCC has paid tribute to its retiring CEO Valerie McCann, marking 24 years of service that helped shape the organisation from the ground up.
Valerie McCann first joined Livestock Chain Management in 1998 during the post-BSE recovery. She went on to play a central role in the creation of the Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification (NIFCC) in 2001.
Despite challenges such as the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak, she guided the new body through its first inspections for the NI Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme and led it to quick UKAS accreditation. Under her stewardship, NIFCC expanded to deliver assurance across Red Tractor Dairy, Poultry, Livestock Transport, Markets and Collection Centres, and later moved into food manufacturing auditing, enabling local delivery of BRCGS and Red Tractor processing audits.
Appointed CEO in 2021, McCann steered the organisation through post-COVID recovery, strengthening financial resilience and driving the digital transformation of inspection systems. Thanking Valerie for her dedication and long-standing service to the agri-food sector, NIFCC Board Chairman George Mullan said “Known to us all for her dedication and work ethic, Valerie leaves NIFCC in a strong, stable and future-focused position.”