Poll Shows Minister Out of Tune with Public Opinion on Bord Bia Chair

IFA President Francie Gorman said the Red C poll published by the Business Post today shows that the Minister for Agriculture is not in tune with the public mood around the controversy surrounding the Bord Bia Chair.

Excluding those who are neutral or don’t know, 76% of respondents want Larry Murrin to leave his position so a new Chair can be appointed.

Francie Gorman said this finding shows an overwhelming majority of respondents among the general population believe Larry Murrin should step down.

“The Minister should heed the finding in today’s poll. It’s very clear that the view among the farming community on this issue is shared by the wider public. It is inexplicable that Minister Heydon would allow a situation to drag on when trust and confidence in Bord Bia is being eroded. The Board of Bord Bia should meet without the Chair to agree a pathway out of this.”

The next public meeting on the Bord Bia controversy will be held in Athy, Co Kildare next Tues night, Feb 24th. This follows the huge turnout in Claremorris on Thursday night, which was attended by over 700 farmers.

“The crowd was unanimous that a new Chair is needed as part of the process of rebuilding trust among farmers. We cannot have a Chair of Bord Bia whose company imports Brazilian beef and Brazilian chicken and is not part of the relevant Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme,” he said.

The IFA President said it’s clear that a broader review of Bord Bia is also needed.

“Our roster of farmers from around the country to maintain the protest outside Bord Bia is now set out until Mon, Mar 9th and can be rolled over for as long as is needed. The depth of feeling on this issue has gotten a lot stronger since it emerged that the Chair’s company doesn’t even bother to be part of the relevant Bord Bia QA scheme,” he concluded.