IFA protest inside head offices of Bord Bia

Yesterday members of the IFA commenced a sit-down protest inside the offices of Bord Bia in Dublin in their protest for the removal of the agency's chair, Larry Murrin.

The protest is in response to Mr Murrin's company Dawn Farms, using some Brazilian beef in its meat products.

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.

The IFA members entered the building at around 2pm last Thursday. Hay bales were used to keep the entrance doors to the Bord Bia building propped open.

“We can't leave there. We're not leaving. We're not willing to leave,” Richard O'Brien, the Westmeath Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) chairman, said of the protest.

Mr O'Brien said the protestors are committed to making a stand on the issue: “There were 11 people in there when I was leaving. I left at 12 o'clock(on Thursday). They are set up to go in for the long haul anyway.

“There is a roster, with members from two or three counties there together, which is good because they'll have a bit of camaraderie between the different ends of the country.”

The stand-off between farmers and the Government over the issue has seen the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Minister for Agriculture all giving Mr Murrin their full backing.

The Westmeath Irish Farmers' Association chairman says the protestors have one goal: “The only solution I can see is that Fine Gael doesn't let arrogance get in its way. I feel there's a slight tone of arrogance there now. They're not going to be told what to do with Sinn Féin, and they're lashing out at us.

“We generally do have a good relationship with Fine Gael, and Sinn Féin for that matter. If we have issues we can usually work with them on it. But they're kind of lashing out at us saying that we have damaged the confidence in Bord Bia. We haven't. Our position is that we have no faith in the chairmen of the Bord.”

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.

Mr O'Brien spoke of the importance of the relationship between farmers and the Board: “We're highlighting to all our members that if they have a Bord Bia audit coming up, they should go ahead and do it.

“Let the auditor come on your farm, at the end of the day, the auditors are coming in to do the job. When the audit is done you're certified for 18 months. Hopefully this will be resolved soon.”

Larry Murrin will appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food today.