IFA ends protest at Bord Bia as review agreed
This review will be commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and is to be completed by April 30. During the period of the review, the normal schedule of board meetings will continue and according to the statement issued by the board, in the interests of moving forward, the board and chair have agreed that these meetings will be facilitated by another current board member – not the current chairman Larry Murrin. The IFA’s protest started on January 25 in response to revelations Dawn Farms, which Murrin is CEO of, imports Brazilian beef as part of its supply chain.I am pleased that my proposal for an independent governance review of the board of Bord Bia has been accepted and that the ongoing protest has been stood downMurrin recently told an Oireachtas Committee he has “never been conflicted” in his role and that he has consistently acted in the best interests of Irish food and agriculture.Mr Heydon welcomed the agreement. “I am pleased that my proposal for an independent governance review of the board of Bord Bia has been accepted and that the ongoing protest has been stood down,” he said."Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin will remain as chair of Bord Bia, but will not chair the meetings during the review process.”Bord Bia is also progressing a new Farmers Forum, which will provide an opportunity for renewed engagement between farmers and Bord Bia.It comes after an escalation of tensions over the position of the Bord Bia chairman, with Mr Heydon making a garda complaint over a protest at his constituency office on Saturday.The complaint was made over alleged damage to his office during a protest organised by the IFA, calling for the removal of Murrin from his post.Mr Heydon has criticised what he has called the “whipping up” of sentiment among farmers, which he said was “reckless” and is leading to behaviour that would not normally be associated with farmers’ protests.In a statement to the Irish Independent, the IFA said it was aware that two signs outside the minister’s office were damaged during the protests.The organisation said it contacted the minister’s office on Saturday evening to make it aware of this and to say it would be replacing the signs.
