A meeting of the Bord Bia board has been scheduled for next Monday (March 2) against the backdrop of ongoing farmer protests.

According to a spokesperson for Bord Bia, the board of the organisation, its senior leadership team, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) are "working collaboratively" to review a proposal put forward by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).

The farming group has been protesting at Bord Bia's Dublin headquarters since January 26 in relation to the role of Larry Murrin as chair of Bord Bia.

Five IFA members have also been inside the HQ building for over three weeks now.

Murrin has been at the centre of a storm in recent weeks over whether his role as chair of Bord Bia is, as some have claimed, "incompatible" with his role as CEO of Dawn Farm Foods.

This is mainly because the Irish company confirmed that the business sources some beef from Brazil.

According to Murrin, "sourcing a small quantity outside Ireland does not diminish our commitment to Irish beef or farmers".

The IFA however believes Larry Murrin's position as chair of Bord Bia is "untenable" and have said "farmer confidence will only be restored with his removal".

At the start of this month, Murrin told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food that he had "never been conflicted in undertaking my role as chair of Bord Bia, which is to lead the board and ensure its effectiveness".

Murrin has the very public support of not only the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine but also the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to remain as the chair of Bord Bia.

Bord Bia

But despite the political support the chair of Bord Bia continues to command, the organisation itself has said the ongoing farmer protest at its Dublin headquarters "represents the most significant breakdown in relations with a core stakeholder group" in the State agency's 30-year history.

It has also said that "one month on, Bord Bia remains fully and actively engaged in seeking a resolution".

IFA

The IFA has proposed that a review should take place addressing a range of issues it has raised with Bord Bia.

The farm organisation proposes that this review process would consist of seven 'strands' including:

Board membership eligibility - A list of minimum eligibility requirements would be agreed for future appointments to the board and for the position of chair;
Board governance and terms of reference - These would be reviewed with a focus on ensuring they are "fit-for-purpose" and to clarify the role of the chair and the board. The IFA said that consideration would be given to what constitutes "a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict of interest";
Farmer Quality Assurance (QA) schemes and inspection process - The IFA wants a review of audit and inspection processes, including review of the purpose of the sustainability survey. This strand would also review the proposed risk-based audit approach, including commitments on reduction in audit inspection times;

ICMSA

Separately the The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has called on Bord Bia to "present detailed proposals on how it intends to restore farmer confidence".

The ICMSA has also sent 11 detailed proposals to Minister Martin Heydon, covering both Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Among these proposals is a call for Bord Bia to expand on how it intends to simplify the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme (SDAS) and Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme (SBLAS) from a farmer perspective.

The ICMSA has also said that "all Bord Bia board members should be obliged to set out whether they import produce from outside the EU".