Bord Bia chair gets board support, but not from farm orgs - O'Toole
Bord Bia is preparing a report for Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon following today's (Thursday, January 22) board meeting.
The meeting of the board was convened at Bord Bia headquarters after concerns were raised about the position of chair Larry Murrin.
There has been calls for Murrin to resign after it was confirmed Dawn Farm Foods, of which Murrin is the managing director, sources some beef from Brazil.
Bord Bia
Following the meeting, Jim O'Toole, chief executive of Bord Bia, has confirmed in a statement that Larry Murrin remains as the chair of Bord Bia.
"Following a full, open, and considered discussion at board level –where all perspectives were fully heard and carefully weighed –the board of Bord Bia reached an outcome to support Larry Murrin as chairman of Bord Bia.
"This was not unanimous, with the farmer organisations represented on the board, IFA and ICMSA, not supporting the chairman," he said.
O'Toole said the board "unanimously commended the chairman, recognising his significant contribution to the sector and the invaluable industry experience he brings to the role".
"Today’s discussion focused on the need to protect and maintain the confidence of Irish farmers, who the board agreed are the bedrock of Bord Bia, while also recognising the critical importance of meeting the needs of customers in highly competitive global markets, which is essential to securing the long-term future of the sector.
"The board was guided by the need to protect the reputation of Bord Bia, Ireland’s agri-food sector and its clients over the longer term and concluded that supporting the chairman was in the best interests of the organisation and the sector as a whole, including Irish farmers," O'Toole added.
The Bord Bia chief executive confirmed that following a request from Minister Heydon, a detailed report on the meeting and associated issues will be provided to the minister.
IFA
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman called for Larry Murrin, to be removed as chair of Bord Bia after today's meeting.
Gorman had sought the resignation of the Murrin at the meeting.
"When the chair refused to resign, I made a formal proposal to the board that the chair be removed in the best interests of Bord Bia.
"The acting chair did not put the proposal to the meeting as he said it was a matter for the Minister for Agriculture," Gorman said.
In a letter to the board sent on January 19, Murrin wrote that Dawn Farm Foods, who he co-founded, is "a leading exporter of added value cooked protein, working with international and local customers in over 50 markets".
He said that "Dawn Farm Foods continues to be a very strong supporter and customer of the Irish beef industry and remains committed to sourcing significant volumes of quality assured supply from Irish farmers in the years ahead".
"A direct link has been drawn between my role as chairperson of Bord Bia, and the operation practices of my company, and I wish to convey to you, the board, that I am now, and have always been, a steadfast advocate of Irish meat and its production standards," Murrin wrote.
