Bord Bia today (Wednesday, February 4) said it is "seeking dialogue and engagement" with protesting farmers who have taken up residence inside its headquarters in Dublin.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) had been protesting outside Bord Bia's HQ in Dublin but yesterday decided to "escalate" its protest by occupying the reception area of the organisation.

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

Larry Murrin is also chair of Dawn Farm Foods. The Irish company has confirmed that the business sources some beef from Brazil.

According to Dawn Farm Foods Brazilian beef accounted for 1% of its beef supply in 2025.

However the president of the IFA, Francie Gorman, believes "it is untenable" that Irish farmers should face stricter quality assurance controls "and the chair of Bord Bia thinks it’s acceptable to import Brazilian beef which is nowhere near those standards".

The IFA has said its protest at Bord Bia, which has now gone into its 10th day, will continue until the chair "resigns or is removed".

Bord Bia

But Murrin has the 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.

Murrin is scheduled to appear before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food tomorrow to set out his company's sourcing policy.

Meanwhile gardaí remain on site at the Bord Bia HQ today as the IFA digs in on its protest.

A spokesperson for Bord Bia told Agriland today it had "acted in good faith and facilitated basic amenities, while consistently seeking dialogue and engagement" throughout the IFA protest.

However it accused "a large group of IFA representatives" of entering its HQ yesterday "under false pretences".

The spokesperson added: "The situation was unacceptable and very intimidating for staff members working at reception.

"Our priority remains the wellbeing of staff and restoring the organisation’s ability to carry out its work".

The spokesperson said that the organisation "remains committed to constructive engagement and de-escalation".

"We also welcome the opportunity for the Bord Bia chairman to address the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture tomorrow where he will provide full context on the issues raised and address questions directly," they added.