Minister’s Approach Not Geared Towards Re-building Confidence in Bord Bia

IFA President Francie Gorman said farmers who had protested at Bord Bia since January would have been astonished to hear Minister Martin Heydon pre-determine the outcome of the so-called independent review.

The Minister was speaking on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh as was the IFA President.

“The ink isn’t dry on the terms of reference for the expert governance review and already the Minister has decided to announce the outcome,” he said.

“IFA proposed that the review should be overseen by a three-person steering group which would have credibility with farmers. This must be put in place as farmers won’t buy a rush job from somebody handpicked by the Minister,” he said.

“We need due process in this review. The future of Bord Bia is at stake,” he said.

IFA also takes issue with comments by the Minister about the protest in Newbridge last weekend.

“There were hundreds of tractors and thousands of people trying fit into a small area outside the Minister’s office. We co-operated fully with the Gardaí on the day, as acknowledged by them. Unfortunately, two signs were damaged.  We contacted the Minister’s office on Saturday evening immediately after the protest to say we would cover the cost of replacing them,” he said. 

“Throughout this 36-day protest farmers have behaved with dignity. Five farmers spent 28 days occupying the Bord Bia office with others outside 24 hours a day while thousands attended meetings and protests. These are genuine hard-working people. I am proud of our officers, our members and our staff,” he said.