MEP Ciaran Mullooly has raised an important point this week in relation to a derogation around the labelling of non-EU meat, which came into effect shortly after the BSE crisis 26 years ago.

In the derogation, a food service establishment doesn’t have to declare where the meat they are serving originates from. He has called for legislation to ensure that all beef placed on the EU market is subject to full origin disclosure, so consumers can make the choice.

The call is being made against the backdrop of Brazilian beef being banned from the EU market from 3 September 2026. As is often the case, the consequences of this could be a redirecting of beef to the UK market, which might have even bigger consequences for Irish beef producers.

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