Bord Bia has said that imported meat from animals born and reared outside Ireland cannot carry the Bord Bia Quality Assurance logo.

Agriland asked the Irish Food Board about the use of its logos given recent commentary around the importation of Brazilian beef to Ireland.

Bord Bia said that only farmers, growers, food producers and processors who are members of the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme and who meet its requirements are permitted to use the quality mark.

The logos must be used in compliance with certain conditions set down by Bord Bia and their use must be clear, unambiguous and not mislead the consumer.

Bord Bia noted that food labelled as Irish but which does not carry the quality mark is regulated and enforced by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Bord Bia

Tina Leonard, logo policy and implementation manager in Bord Bia’s Origin Green and Quality Assurance Scheme, told Agriland there are 11 different Bord Bia logos, as follows:

Origin Ireland;
Grass Fed Verified;
Origin Northern Ireland (NI);
Produced and Processed in Ireland and Northern Ireland;
Reared and processed in Ireland;
Origin Ireland (meat content only);
Origin Northern Ireland (NI) (meat content only);
Produced and Processed in Ireland and Northern Ireland (meat content only);
Reared and Processed in Ireland (meat content only);
Certified Member;
Grass Fed Certified Member.

Some logos are available for use on pack, while others are used in documentation, websites, social media, and also to denote different jurisdictions, covering Northern Ireland and Ireland.

"If it's carrying the Produced and Processed in Ireland and Northern Ireland logo generally what that means is that the animal could be slaughtered in Northern Ireland and processed there, or could be cured or processed in the north," Leonard said.

Quality Assurance

Leonard, whose role is to protect and police the Bord Bia logos, said that anyone who wants to use a logo must apply for approval in advance.

The application process involves a review of the specifications of a product, such as minimum meat content, the proposed artwork for the pack and the placement and colours of the logo.

The Bord Bia logo cannot be used if non-quality assured beef, lamb, pork or poultry is mixed with quality assured meats.

The logo can be used where the non-quality assured portion are ingredients for which there is no Bord Bia certification, such as sauces or breadcrumbs.

Leonard said that it is not possible for meat imported from Brazil to carry the Bord Bia Quality Assurance logo, even if that meat has undergone processing here.

"Consumers can be 100% assured that we're verifying the product that they see on shelves has been audited by Bord Bia, by our auditors on a regular basis," Leonard said.

Along with farm and factory audits, Bord Bia carries out a retail audit four times a year across each of the country’s main retailers: Aldi; Lidl; Dunnes Stores; SuperValu and Tesco.

During each of those quarterly audits around 3,000 products are examined by Bord Bia.

"We analyse and take a snapshot of what's currently in store, and we upload the result of those audits on the [Bord Bia] website.

"We carry out testing on products on the shelf, and we analyse that it actually meets the criteria set out in the logo use policy. There's a huge amount that goes behind checking and testing," Leonard said.

Sanctions

Bord Bia can impose sanctions for misuse of the Quality Mark logo. These sanctions may include fines and suspension from the scheme and can be imposed even in the case of a genuine mislabelling error.

Since 2021, there have been nine instances of non-compliance with Bord Bia’s logo use policy.

The impacted products were primarily horticulture fresh produce, with two instances involving eggs.

Bord Bia said that seasonality in the horticulture sector means that growers and packers will move between supplying quality assured and non-quality assured products throughout the year.

This means they will have two packaging designs, one with the Bord Bia logo and one without.

"Mislabelling is typically due to human error where an employee puts the wrong packaging on the line.

"Additional staff training, revised documented procedures, and an increase in spot audits for companies all help to reduce and avoid these errors in the future," Bord Bia said.

Food labelling

The most recent research, carried out in November 2025, showed that the Bord Bia Quality Mark is mentioned first and more often by Irish shoppers than any other trust mark when people think about logos and symbols on pack when purchasing food.

The next annual Quality Mark brand health check is due to take place in early autumn.

Meanwhile, the issue of food labelling will be the focus of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food meeting tomorrow (Wednesday, February 11).

The committee will hear from representatives of Bord Bia, FSAI and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).