Dawn Farm Foods CEO and chair of Bord Bia since 2024 Larry Murrin is facing questions after his company admitted that it imports beef from Brazil.

The controversy arose after an image was circulated among farmers showing a sign reportedly displayed in a Subway restaurant in Ireland stating that Dawn Farm Foods certifies that the raw materials used in production of beef supplies to Subway “are currently sourced from EU-approved plants in Europe and Brazil”.

A spokesperson for Subway told the Irish Farmers Journal: “Subway did not source any beef from Brazil for its Irish restaurants and has no plans to do so. The beef supplied to Subway restaurants in Europe is sourced exclusively from EU-approved plants in the UK and Europe, with the majority originating from Ireland.

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“The signage currently displayed in our restaurants reflects Dawn Farm Foods’ approved sourcing certification, which covers the full range of EU-approved plants to ensure supply continuity and does not indicate the specific sourcing used in Irish restaurants.

"As part of our annual updates to in-restaurant materials, the beef certification stickers will be updated this week to directly reflect sourcing used in Irish restaurants.”

Dawn Farm Foods comment

A spokesperson for Dawn Farm Foods said: “Dawn Farms is a leading exporter of added value cooked protein working with international and local customers in over 50 markets.

"We work with global brands who require deep levels of contingency to ensure absolute security of supply. In response, we source beef from selected countries to ensure continuation of supply and, in some cases, to meet specific market requirements. This capability allows us in turn to maximise the opportunity for Irish meat in these markets.

“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.

“All our 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.

“Dawn Farms 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.”

Import data

According to figures from the Department of Agriculture and the Central Statistics Office, the volume of beef directly imported to Ireland from Brazil in the first 10 months of 2025 amounted to 145t (see Figure 1).

This volume is tiny when compared with Ireland’s overall beef exports during the same period of 393,083t.

However, with Brazilian beef being such a hot topic at the moment amid concerns about Mercosur imports and the quality of the product, the timing of this is sure to pile pressure on the Bord Bia chair.

Irish Farmers' Association president Francie Gorman said: “I am very concerned about the statement made by Dawn Farm Foods in response to media queries about their sourcing of Brazilian beef.

“As a board member, I have raised this through the appropriate channels in Bord Bia. I have stressed the need for an urgent response.”

A Bord Bia spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal: "Many companies within the Irish food industry source ingredients from outside Ireland.

"Bord Bia has no remit in relation to imported food and does not comment on individual businesses."

This story was updated on Monday evening with the addition of a comment from Bord Bia.