Subway has 'no plans' to source beef from Brazil for Irish restaurants
One of the country's major food chains, Subway, has confirmed that it "did not source any beef from Brazil for its Irish restaurants in 2025".
The restaurant group also told Agriland that it has "no plans to do so".
The group stated: "Sourcing Irish beef remains a priority for Subway, and the majority of beef served in our Irish restaurants comes from Irish suppliers".
Confirmation of its sourcing practices comes following concerns raised by some members of the Beef Plan Movement.
They had raised questions about the restaurant group's sourcing policy after noticing a sign that was displayed in one of its restaurants in Ireland.
Beefplan members told Agriland that they expected "more loyalty" from Subway to farmers in Ireland particularly since the group has "so many outlets in Ireland".
But in a statement Subway outlined that the "signage currently displayed in our restaurants 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".
Subway
Meanwhile Dawn Farms also told Agriland that 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".
It 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".
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".
It also highlighted that its customer, Subway, "is a supporter of longstanding of the Irish food industry and one of the largest single customers of Irish meat, dairy and associated products supplied to their stores across Ireland, the UK and European markets".
"This has been their consistent position in terms of supply out of Ireland for over 25 years," it added.
