Some 76% of beef imports to the UK in the first eight months of the year came from the Republic of Ireland, according to figures from the HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC).
From January to August of this year, 120,188t of beef were imported into the UK from the Republic.
According to the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) this is an 8% increase on the corresponding period in 2014 when 110,939t of beef were imported.
Total beef imports to the UK in the first eight months of the year totalled 176,000t which the according to the LMC is 12% increase from the 158,000t imported during the same period last year.
Beef imports from the EU during the 2015 period totalled 159,153t which the LMC states accounted for 90% of all UK beef imports.
According to the LMC this was a 13% increase in imports from the EU in the corresponding period in 2014 when 140,395t of beef were imported.
The Netherlands was the next biggest importer of beef to the UK in the first eight months of the year with 13,183t imported, figures show.
This was a 28% increase on the 10,340t of beef imported during the same period in 2014.
UK beef imports from non-EU countries during the first eight months of 2015 totalled 16,963t and accounted for 10% of total beef imports, according to the LMC.
This was a 2% decline in imports from the corresponding period in 2014, the LMC states, when 17,247t of beef were imported by the UK from non-EU countries.
The largest non-EU source of beef to the UK during the first eight months of 2015 was Australia with 4,240t imported.
Imports of fresh/chilled beef to the UK during January to August 2015 totalled 133,117t and accounted for 76% of total beef imports, the LMC states.
This was a 17% increase on the 114,238t of fresh/chilled beef imported during the same period in 2014, according to the LMC.
The figures show that imports of frozen beef to the UK during January to August 2015 totalled 43,000t and accounted for 24% of total beef imports during this period.
