Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman has said that he is "very concerned" over Dawn Farm Foods' statement that it sourced some beef from Brazil.

Dawn Farm Foods' managing director is Larry Murrin, who is currently the chairperson of the board of Bord Bia, the role of which is the promotion of Irish agri-food.

As reported by Agriland last week, Dawn Farm Foods acknowledged that some of its beef supply comes from Brazil.

The matter arose after members of the Beef Plan Movement noted signage in outlets of the sandwich shop chain Subway, which is supplied with beef by Dawn Farm Foods. This signage said that Irish Subway outlets were provided with beef sourced from approved plants in both Europe and Brazil.

Subway said in a statement to Agriland that the signage "reflects Dawn Farm Foods’ approved sourcing certification".

It said this "covers the full range of EU-approved plants to ensure supply continuity, and does not indicate the specific sourcing used in Irish restaurants".

However, the matter has drawn the attention of other farm organisations.

In a statement, IFA president Gorman said: "I am very concerned about the statement made by Dawn Farm Foods...about their sourcing of Brazilian beef.

"As a board member, I have raised this through the appropriate channels with Bord Bia. I have stressed the need for an urgent response," Gorman added.

It is understood that Gorman was in direct contact with Murrin at the weekend over the issue, and that the IFA president has also spoken directly to Bord Bia CEO Jim O'Toole to express his concerns.

Dawn Farm Foods

As previously reported by Agriland, Dawn Farm Foods said it "continues to be a very strong supporter and customer of the Irish beef industry and remains committed to sourcing significant volumes of supply from Irish sources in the years ahead".

A statement from the business to Agriland said: "Dawn Farms is a leading exporter of added value cooked protein to UK and European markets. We source beef from selected countries to ensure continuation of supply and in some cases to meet specific market requirements.

"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%. None of this was supplied to Subway stores on the island of Ireland," the statement added.

According to the company, all of its raw material "is sourced from approved abattoirs that are supervised by the national competent authorities, subject to oversight by veterinary specialists in the EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and cleared for use by the authorities in their own jurisdictions".