End in sight for Bord Bia protestors
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) sit-down protest inside the offices of Bord Bia in Dublin as part of their protest for the removal of the agency's chair, Larry Murrin, may reach a conclusion today.
On Saturday farmers protested outside the offices of Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, in Newbridge, Kildare that saw around 1,500 farmers turn out.
Over the weekend Westmeath IFA chair Richard O'Brien, was part of the main protest outside Bord Bia's offices at Pembroke Road in Dublin. Five farmers remain inside the building for over three weeks now.
The protest is in response to Mr Murrin's company Dawn Farms, using Brazilian beef in its meat products. The dispute began when it was confirmed that Dawn Farm Foods, of which Mr Murrin is CEO, sourced 1% of its beef from Brazil in 2025.
The IFA, along with the ICMSA, believe Mr Murrin's position represents a conflict of interest, given Bord Bia's role in promoting Irish food, and have called for him to step down as chair of the semi-state agency.
“It's going good, there is great momentum here this morning,” Richard said outside the Bord Bia offices, “hopefully we are going to have some form of resolution today in it.”
A board meeting of Bord Bia is taking place today, at which a government proposal for an independent expert-led governance review into Bord Bia is set to be discussed.
This follows an IFA proposal to examine the State agency's board-membership eligibility as well as its various quality-assurance schemes.
“The meeting started at 10am. They will discuss the IFA proposals and the government proposals. We are still adamant that Larry Murrin has to go,” the Westmeath IFA chief said.
The Bord plays a vital role in food security. A Bord Bia audit for farmers is a mandatory, independent inspection held every 18 months to certify compliance with Irish food safety, traceability, animal welfare, and sustainability standards. It validates quality for consumer markets, enables farm-level carbon footprint calculations, and is essential for securing bonuses when selling cattle or sheep.
“We cant guess what will happen, but hopefully by 3pm today well will be able to leave here, even if it is only temporary,” Mr O'Brien concluded.
The IFA said its action will continue until Larry Murrin resigns or is removed as chair of the Irish Food Board.