Lack of QA Status for Bord Bia Chair Astonishing

IFA President Francie Gorman said farmers would be astonished that the Chair of Bord Bia is not part of the relevant QA Scheme for his own business.

“This is the core issue that we have raised in the last four weeks. Farmers will rightly ask why they have to comply with QA Schemes, but the Chair of Bord Bia decided it didn’t apply to him. The fact that their website incorrectly said Dawn Farm Foods had QA, and this had to be corrected, raises some questions about the credibility of Bord Bia,” he said.

He said the IFA protest at Bord Bia will continue until the Chair is removed.

“It’s three weeks since the emergency board meeting. It’s quite clear now that board members were not given all the information from the Chair about how his imports of Brazilian beef and poultry; his Origin Green status; and his QA status. Dawn Farm Foods is not a member of the relevant Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme, the Food Processor Standard, which is an extraordinary situation,” he said.

“Bord Bia also has questions to answer. The ongoing dispute means that farmer confidence has been badly damaged. Farmers do not want to be protesting at Bord Bia, and certainly not at this time of year. But they feel they have no choice because of the cavalier way the Chair has approached the QA scheme,” he said.

When appearing as a witness in front of the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture as Chairman designate in April 2024, Larry Murrin said, in relation to QA Schemes, ‘all stakeholders have to be on the bus and we need the maximum number of people engaged’.

55,000 farmers and over 500 food and agribusinesses recognise the value of QA. But Dawn Farm Foods either did not apply to be part of the standard; does not meet the criteria; or did not pass the audit.

Whatever the reason, it is a total contradiction of what Bord Bia stands for. Larry Murrin must step down. Trust among farmers will only be restored if a new chair is put in place.

“There is no way a farmer, who is not part of a Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme, would be allowed to chair Bord Bia,” concluded the IFA President.