Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 April 2026
893. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 2217, 2192 and 2218 of 14 April 2026, the percentage of beef imported from UK/GB in 2025 and 2026 which was born, reared and slaughtered in UK/GB; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30338/26]
View answerImports from GB typically account for almost half (48%) of the total volume of raw beef imported annually into the country.
The Central Statistics Office is responsible for the compilation of official trade statistics in accordance with harmonised EU standards developed by Eurostat. These official trade statistics are based on Revenue data and do not capture the provenance of imports.
However, information on the provenance and processing of beef is subject to EU food labelling rules. The overarching legislative framework is contained in Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. Under this regulation, the general rule is that an indication of the country of origin or place of provenance is mandatory where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food.
Article 26(3) of the regulation provides that where the country of origin or the place of provenance of a food is given and where it is not the same as that of its primary ingredient, the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient in question must also be given. This article prohibits misleading food information which implies a certain origin of a food, when in fact its true origin is different. The rules on indicating the country of origin or place of provenance of the primary ingredient of a food are set out in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/775.
