‘The gold standard’: Supermac’s Pat McDonagh said they will only ever use Irish beef

SUPERMAC’S will only ever use Irish beef, said the group’s managing director Pat McDonagh this Thursday, following confirmation that Ireland will vote against the EU-Mercosur trade deal.

The multi-billion euro trade deal would mean Limerick, Irish and EU farmers having to compete with lower-cost South American beef. Concerns have been expressed by farming bodies about Brazilian beef meeting EU standards

Mr McDonagh, in a statement, 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.” 

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The Galway-born businessman, who owns a number of Supermac’s restaurants in County Limerick, as well as the Castletroy Park Hotel and Castle Oaks House Hotel, said Irish beef is recognised around the world as the gold standard.

“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.

“Those standards have taken years — and generations — to achieve. Farm families have invested 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.” said Mr McDonagh.

Touching on the Mercosur deal, the entrepreneur said 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,” concluded Mr McDonagh.

Separately, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Niall Collins welcomed confirmation that Ireland will vote against the EU-Mercosur trade deal. He said it is in line with a key commitment in the Programme for Government.

"This Government has been clear that it will oppose Mercosur in its current form and work with like-minded EU countries to stand up for Irish farmers and defend our interests.

"My Fianna Fáil colleagues in the European Parliament will also vote against the Mercosur deal, as the deal in its current form is simply not sufficient to protect the interests of Irish farmers.

“Last year I met with the Beef Plan Movement where we discussed the importance of supporting Irish farmers in the context of Mercosur, and I was glad to share their petition, signed by over 3,500 members, with the Taoiseach,” said Mr Collins.

The minister of state said the Government recently successfully ensured the extension of Ireland's nitrates derogation for a further three years, showing that “we are standing up for the interests of Irish farmers in Brussels”.

"This support for farmers and our agricultural sector must continue in 2026 as the viability of farming livelihoods and incomes is vital to our communities in rural Ireland,” said Mr Collins.

ICMSA president Denis Drennan also welcomed Government confirmation that Ireland will vote against Mercosur, saying it is “the right decision both economically and environmentally”.

“We have no way of ensuring that the beef that would be imported into the EU under the agreement would be of the same standards of traceability and environmentally sustainable production that the EU insists upon for its own farmers,” said Mr Drennan.

IFA president Francie Gorman said the so-called safeguards put forward by the EU Commission do not give any assurances that Brazilian beef will meet EU standards.

He said IFA’s campaign opposing Mercosur will continue after tomorrow’s meeting of the EU Ambassadors.

“The announcement follows yesterday’s revelation that Brazilian beef containing banned hormones entered the Irish food chain in recent months and is now subject to an official recall by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

“This shows that the undertaking from Brazil about the processes they have in place are completely flawed and wholly ineffective,” he said.