Aldi, in partnership with ABP Food Group, has announced plans to further increase its supply of Irish Wagyu beef at Aldi supermarkets across Ireland.

Last week, ABP Food Group announced the opening its Wagyu Programme for new farmer applications.

Earlier this week, Aldi confirmed to Agriland it has plans to source more Wagyu beef from Irish farmers through ABP Food Group suppliers.

Speaking to Agriland, John Curtin, group buying director for Aldi Ireland, explained why the supermarket is seeing a growing demand for Wagyu beef produced on Irish farms.

He said that market research from Aldi and ABP "identified a growing consumer demand of occasional, premium experiences at home".

"Together we set about making that available to our customers across the country."

He explained that the Aldi/ABP Wagyu Programme delivered the first products to the shelf in 2023 and, since then, "the range has grown to include award-winning steaks, meatballs, and burgers".

ABP Food Group's agri-sustainability manager Stephen Connolly said: "We, at ABP continue to work on this initiative with Aldi with Wagyu first going to store in 2023."

Connolly also said that the fully-integrated initiative supports family farms through the guaranteed minimum price structure.

He added that there are over 100 farmers including beef finishers involved in the programme.

Since its rollout in 2023, the range has won over 30 awards, including World Steak Challenge titles.

Aldi's group buying director added: "We’re very excited about the future of this range at Aldi, ensuring we’re bringing the best quality produce to our shelves while keeping prices as low as possible for customers.”