Kilkenny farmers join IFA protest outside Bord Bia offices

IFA President Francie Gorman said the position of the Bord Bia Chair Larry Murrin is untenable and, he said, regrettably farmer confidence will continue to ebb away every day he remains in office.

Mr Gorman has called for the resignation of the Bord Bia chairman, saying: “It is clear that Bord Bia cannot do its business with farmers. The current Chair of Bord Bia, who imports Brazilian beef, has put himself ahead of the Association and it’s doing untold damage,” he said.

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Speaking at an IFA protest outside Bord Bia in Dublin earlier this week, Mr Gorman said farmers are the cornerstone of what Bord Bia does.

“What a lot of those outside our sector might not be aware of is that Bord Bia is responsible for the Quality Assurance standards on Irish farms. It is Bord Bia which inspect farms to ensure these standards. They constantly tell us that the customers want high standards. Yet now farmers find out that the Chair of Bord Bia is using Brazilian beef, apparently at the behest of these same customers,” he said.

“IFA, along with other farm representatives, were scheduled to be in discussions today with Bord Bia about Quality Assurance standards on farms.

“As farmer representatives, we cannot expect farmers to engage in meetings on standards while the chair uses Brazilian beef. That is why Bord Bia had to call off these meetings,” he said.

Mr Gorman appealed to both the Minister for Agriculture and the Chair of Bord Bia to realise that prolonging this issue is not in anybody’s interest.

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“I put forward a proposal last Thursday that the Chair should stand down, in the interests of Bord Bia and in the interests of Irish farming. Regrettably, that is still my view. I don’t like having this focus on one individual, but the Minister has to see the damage it is doing,” he said.

“We will remain here until this matter is resolved. Ireland has built up a reputation for top quality food on the back of the QA scheme and Origin Green. This requires the participation and confidence of farmers. This is vital if we are to continue to be successful on the global stage,” he said.