THE CLOSURE OF all McDonald’s restaurants in Ireland and the UK will be a “big blow” to the Irish beef sector, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said. 

All McDonald’s restaurants in Ireland and the UK will be closed from 7pm this evening at the latest due to Covid-19, it was announced yesterday evening.

McDonald’s is the largest purchaser of Irish beef annually. One in five McDonald’s burgers sold in Europe is of Irish origin and the company says it buys from 18,000 Irish farms. 

The IFA said McDonald’s closure is a “big blow to the sector”.

It said the impact on the sector in food service closures “has been mitigated by an increase in retail demand”. 

IFA President Tim Cullinan wrote to the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, last week regarding support for the EU beef market due to the impact of Covid-19.  

“The Irish beef price is already well below the cost of production for farmers.  They cannot sustain any further cuts,” he said in a statement.  

The CEO of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, Paul Pomroy, said it “became clear” over the weekend that it was not possible to maintain safe social distancing practices in takeaway and drive thru services.