The board of Dawn Meats 鈥 which today has annual revenue of 鈧3bn and employs 8,000 people globally 鈥 led the tributes, describing Mr Browne as a visionary leader in Irish agriculture who made a profound impact on the agri-food and meat sectors.
鈥淗e was a remarkable leader and visionary, serving as Managing Director of Dawn Meats for 27 years and developing the business into one of Europe鈥檚 leading meat processing companies,鈥 the company said.
鈥淗e was also a valued member of the board of Dawn Meats and through his wise counsel, he continued to play a key role in the further success of the company.
鈥淭hrough his work at Dawn Meats and his wider contribution to agriculture and the agri-food industry, Mr Browne leaves a lasting legacy and he will be greatly missed.鈥
Mr Browne began his career as a research scientist. He worked with An Foras Tal煤ntais, the agricultural research institute, initially at the grassland research centre at Johnstown Castle, Wexford, before moving back to Cork in 1959, where he developed a national dairy research centre at Moorepark, outside Fermoy.
As the third scientist hired at Moorepark, he played a central role in developing it into a world-class research centre over the next 15 years.
In 1974, he left research to join the meat industry, becoming manager of the Cork Marts IMP plant in Midleton.
In 1980, Mr Browne co-founded Dawn Meats in Waterford alongside John Queally and the late Peter Queally, serving as managing director for 27 years.
Under his leadership, the company rapidly expanded into one of Europe鈥檚 top meat processors.
He retired as managing director in 2007 but continued to serve on the board and advise senior management as the business grew to employ over 8,000 people in 12 countries, generating more than 鈧3bn in annual revenue.
The company sources grass-fed cattle and lamb from over 40,000 family farms for processing at its 11 Irish and 13 UK sites, exporting to more than 50 countries. It processes approximately one million cattle and 3.5 million sheep annually.
In 2011, Mr Browne received an honorary doctorate of science from UCD, his alma mater, in recognition of his vision, innovation, and outstanding contribution to agriculture.
He chaired the board at Teagasc from 1993 to 1998, led Bord Bia from 2008 to 2011, and had been chair of Waterford Airport since 2010.
Mr Browne is survived by his wife Kay, children Paddy, Aoid铆n, Colm, Niall, and ten grandchildren. Niall has served as CEO of Dawn Meats since 2007.
His requiem mass will take place at 11am on Friday at St Mary鈥檚 Church, Ballygunner, Waterford, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.