A potential change of ownership for meat processing co-op Alliance Group

Business Desk is reporting Irish business Dawn Meats is looking to take a 70-percent stake in Alliance this week, at a cost of 270-million dollars.

Alliance has been, until now, completely owned by its farmers.

The sale would be the biggest change New Zealand's meat industry has seen since Bright Meat -- or Shanghai Maling as it was known -- took a 50-percent stake in Silver Fern Farms.

Alliance closed its Smithfield freezing works in Timaru last year.