Over 27,000 tonnes of beef was imported into Ireland in the first eight months of 2026, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed.

The latest trade statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that 27,440t of beef worth €194 million was brought into the country between January and August.

This compares with imports of 24,182t during the same period in 2025, which were valued at €166 million

The department said this represents a year-on-year increase of 3,258t or 13% in terms of volume or a jump of €28 million or 17% in value.

Beef imports

The data shows that the largest import source for beef in the first eight months of 2026 by volume was the UK at 25,037t, which was valued at €176 million.

This accounts for 91% of total Irish beef imports by volume and value respectively.

Within this total, imports from Britain made up 13,845t (€90 million), while Northern Ireland provided the remaining 11,192t (€86 million).

The second largest origin for beef imports was Spain at 720 tonnes (€4 million).

In third position was Brazil at 664 tonnes (€5.1 million), followed by Belgium at 252 tonnes (€2.2 million) and the Netherlands at 166 tonnes (€1.1 million).

"For context, total beef exports in January to August 2026 were 285,836 tonnes, valued at €2.4 billion.

"Beef imports during the same period therefore equated to 9.6% of beef export volume and 8.2% of beef export value," a DAFM spokesperson told Agriland.

The department also noted that the statistics are provisional and subject to revision by the CSO.

Brazil

The European Union suspended imports of Brazilian beef from September 3, 2026.

The move followed concerns over Brazil's compliance with EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials for the entire lifetime of the animals that the exported products originate from.

The ban could potentially last for at least two years while Brazilian authorities work to address the compliance gaps.

However, the president of the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (ABIEC), Roberto Perosa, recently told Agriland he expects Brazilian beef to be back in the EU market within the coming months.