Appearance by Bord Bia Chair Raises Further Questions
IFA President Francie Gorman said the appearance by the Chair of Bord Bia at today’s Joint Oireachtas Committee raises further questions.
During the question-and-answer session, Larry Murrin admitted that as well as importing Brazilian beef, he is also importing Brazilian chicken.
“He also refused to give the actual tonnage of beef he imported in 2025. It was Mr. Murrin who put the 1% figure from Brazil in the public domain. Today, he hid behind commercial sensitivity when asked to give specifics about the exact tonnage he imported and where else he imports come from,” he said.
“In addition, he refused to confirm what percentage of the beef he sources comes from Bord Bia Quality Assured Irish farms. But from his answers it appears that less than 50% comes from Bord Bia farmers. He should clarify this,” he said.
“Some facts are clear. Mr. Murrin’s company imported Brazilian beef and Brazilian chicken. Farmers do not see this as compatible with being the chair of the Irish food marketing board and of the organisation that sets and policies standards for Irish QA farmers. This was shown again with the Bord Bia poultry meeting in Monaghan this morning being abandoned,” he said.
“The Chair also needs to clarify why he implies that Dawn Farm Foods has Origin Green ‘Gold status’ on his website, yet he admitted to the Committee today that the company no longer meets this standard,” he said.
“It’s over two weeks since I first raised this matter, and 11 days since we began our protest at the Bord Bia office in Dublin. Yet the Chair of Bord Bia and the Government have failed to grasp how this issue is undermining farmer confidence in Bord Bia. Our position has been quite clear on this: the position of the Chair is untenable given that he imports Brazilian beef and poultry,” he said.
“The resolve of our members remains strong. Rarely have I seen such depth of feeling on an issue. It is time for the Minister to sit down with the Chair and explain that in order to restore farmer confidence a new chair is needed,” he concluded.
