Beef Plan wants 'transparency' for farmers after highlighting Dawn Farms' sourcing policy
The Beef Plan Movement, which first drew attention to Dawn Farm Foods’ sourcing policy, has demanded "transparency" for Irish farmers today (Wednesday, January 21).
The organisation had raised questions about sourcing practices by companies in Ireland after one of its members noticed a sign that was displayed in a Subway restaurant.
The sign stated that "Dawn Farm Foods Ltd certifies that the raw materials used in the production of the beef products supplied to Subway' Restaurants' in Ireland are currently sourced from EU approved plants in Europe and Brazil."
Subway confirmed to Agriland that it "did not source any beef from Brazil for its Irish restaurants in 2025" and has "no plans to do so".
Meanwhile Dawn Farms also told Agriland that "in 2025, Irish beef made up the majority of our supply and together with the UK and other EU countries accounted for 99% of our annual supply. Brazilian beef accounted for the remaining 1%."
The managing director of Dawn Farm Foods is Larry Murrin, the chair of Bord Bia - the state agency whose mission is "to bring Ireland's outstanding food, drink and horticulture produce to the world".
Beef Plan Movement
According to Beef Plan holding both the position of chair of Bord Bia and managing director of Dawn Farms is now "untenable" for Murrin.
A spokesperson for Bord Bia has confirmed that a meeting of the Bord Bia board will take place tomorrow (Thursday, January 22).
The Beef Plan Movement also believes it could be a useful exercise to look at the sourcing policies of other producers who may sit on various secondary boards within Bord Bia.
It is also calling for further scrutiny in relation to supply and demand of Brazilian beef and meat products.
"The movement of food around the globe is a tricky business with labels often changing as products are boned, processed or packed in a variety of countries and consumer confusion abounds.
"We often read reports of volumes of meat from different sources coming into the country but there is paltry details available as to who imported what and where it is sold," the organisation added.
According to the Beef Plan Movement it fully acknowledges that any company can "freely pursue business opportunities" but what it wants to see is "transparency" for Irish farmers when it comes to supply chains.
