Farmers protested outside Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon's constituency office in Co. Kildare today (Saturday, February 28) as the dispute over Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin continues.

According to the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), which organised this afternoon's demonstration in Newbridge, around 1,500 farmers attended on foot, while there were 300 in a convoy of vehicles.

The IFA's "Double Standards" campaign is demanding the resignation of Larry Murrin as Bord Bia chair over beef and poultry imports from Brazil by his company, Dawn Farm Foods.

Today's protest followed a public meeting held by IFA on the issue in Co. Kildare this week where it was decided to escalate its ongoing campaign. Similar meetings also took place recently in Mayo and Cavan.

Bord Bia

The IFA began a rolling farmer protest at Bord Bia's offices at Pembroke Road in Dublin on January 26.

Five farmers also remain inside the building for over three weeks now.

The dispute began when it was confirmed that Dawn Farm Foods, of which Murrin is CEO, sourced 1% of its beef from Brazil in 2025.

The IFA said its action will continue until Larry Murrin resigns or is removed as chair of the Irish Food Board.

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 Martin Heydon, has given its support to Larry Murrin to remain in his position.

In a statement issued on Thursday (February 26), Bord Bia acknowledged that "this issue represents the most significant breakdown in relations with a core stakeholder group".

The IFA has proposed a "framework" to resolve the dispute with Bord Bia over its chairperson Larry Murrin.

The association said that Murrin should step aside for at least the duration of that review.

On Thursday (February 26), Minister Heydon proposed establishing "an independently run governance review" in a bid to break the stalemate.

The proposal is expected to be discussed by the board of Bord Bia during a meeting on Monday (March 2).

"The independent expert led governance review will objectively assess the matters raised and provide me with recommendations.

"I propose that after Monday’s meeting, the board would not meet again until the review is complete," the minister said.