Supermac's boss says 'trade matters' but not at expense of farm families
Businessman and Supermac's founder Pat McDonagh has committed to only using Irish beef in his restaurant chains, as a trade deal between the EU and Mercosur bloc of South American countries is likely to proceed.
The deal provides for 99,000t of South American beef, mostly from Brazil, to enter the EU market at a reduced tariff rate of 7.5%. In exchange, a number of EU exports to Mercosur countries would also benefit from reduced tariffs, such as machinery and drinks.
The Irish Government has agreed today (Thursday, January 8) to formally vote no to the deal at a meeting of the EU Council tomorrow, though Ireland's vote is unlikely to make a difference to the overall vote, which is expected to be a majority in favour of the deal.
McDonagh has said: "As a significant purchaser of Irish beef, we have always been clear: Supermac’s will only ever use Irish beef. Not because it’s convenient, but because it is the best.
"And the reason it is the best is because of the standards Irish farmers meet every single day. Supermac’s was founded in rural Ireland, and our values were shaped there - by farm families, by local communities, and by an understanding that standards matter because livelihoods depend on them.
"Irish beef is recognised around the world as the gold standard, and that didn’t happen by accident. It is the result of decades of work, investment and commitment by Irish farmers and farm families who have built a system based on the highest standards of quality, animal welfare, sustainability and full traceability."
McDonagh explained that those high standards have taken years to achieve with farm families investing their livelihoods, their land and their lives into producing food that people can trust.
"It would be deeply unwise to do anything that undermines that work or exposes Irish farmers to unfair competition from regions operating to very different rules and expectations," McDonagh continued.
"Trade matters, but it cannot come at the expense of the standards people rely on and the farming families who uphold them. If those standards are diluted or devalued, the damage will not be temporary, it will be lasting.
"Backing Irish farmers means protecting the systems they have built. That is essential not just for agriculture, but for food confidence, rural communities and Ireland’s reputation for quality."
