Bord Bia has said that a protest staged by farmers at its Dublin headquarters led to around €200,000 in additional costs.

The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) began a rolling protest at the Pembroke Road building on January 26 in relation to the role of Larry Murrin as chair of Bord Bia.

Five IFA members also occupied the reception area of the building for almost a month.

The protest was stood down on March 2 after an agreement was reached on an independent review.

Bord Bia

A spokesperson for Bord Bia told Agriland: "The recent protest resulted in costs in the region of €200,000, primarily associated with round-the-clock security over several weeks, legal support, the use of alternative meeting and workplace venues, and an unplanned advertising campaign".

Bord Bia previously stated that over 140 of its staff had been "displaced from their workplace since February 4" when IFA protesters occupied its reception.

The Irish Food Board said "multiple meetings" with major international customers of Irish food and drink had been "postponed, relocated or even cancelled".

"The Bord Bia global hub reopened on March 4, for all staff and events, and is operating as normal," the spokesperson said.

Larry Murrin

The dispute began when it was confirmed that Larry Murrin's company Dawn Farm Foods sourced 1% of its beef from Brazil in 2025.

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

Larry Murrin has stated he has "never been conflicted" in undertaking his role at Bord Bia, which he said "is to lead the board and ensure its effectiveness".

The government, including Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, has given its support to Larry Murrin to remain in his position.

Review

During a meeting of the Bord Bia board on March 2, the terms of reference for an independent governance review proposed by Minister Heydon were agreed.

The review will be commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2026.

It is believed the review will examine, among other things, the eligibility for membership of the agency's board and for the appointment of its chairperson.

It is understood that during the period of the review, the normal schedule of board meetings will continue, but in the interest of moving forward, the board and chair, Larry Murrin, have agreed that these meetings will be facilitated by another board member.