The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman has called for the chair of Bord Bia, Larry Murrin, to be removed.

The comments follow a meeting of the board of Bord Bia today (Thursday, January 22) after concerns were raised about the chair's position.

However, following the meeting it is understood that Larry Murrin is still the chair of Bord Bia.

There had 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.

This has led some farm organisations and politician's to question Murrin's position as chair of Bord Bia - which is tasked with promoting Irish agri-food.

The 14 members of the board, which includes the IFA, began the meeting at around 11:00a.m.

Speaking after the meeting, IFA president Francie Gorman said that he had sought the resignation of the chair of Bord Bia at the meeting.

"The acting chair did not put the proposal to the meeting as he said it was a matter for the Minister for Agriculture [Martin Heydon]," Gorman said.

"I made it clear that farmer support is critical to the functioning of Bord Bia. What has happened here has had a devastating impact on farmer confidence.

"If Bord Bia is to have any chance of restoring this, then the chair must be removed,” he added.

Gorman continued: "I am conscious of my responsibilities as Director of Bord Bia and I absolutely believe that it is in the best interests of Bord Bia for the Chair to step down.

"I will now be contacting the Minister directly to convey my views."

Dawn Farms

As reported by Agriland, Beef Plan Movement first drew attention to Dawn Farm Foods’ sourcing policy last week, after one of its members noticed a sign that was displayed in a Subway restaurant.

The sign stated that "Dawn Farm Foods Ltd certifies that the raw materials used in the production of the beef products supplied to Subway' Restaurants' in Ireland are currently sourced from EU approved plants in Europe and Brazil."

Subway confirmed to Agriland that it "did not source any beef from Brazil for its Irish restaurants in 2025" and has "no plans to do so".

Dawn Farms also told Agriland that "in 2025, Irish beef made up the majority of our supply and together with the UK and other EU countries accounted for 99% of our annual supply. Brazilian beef accounted for the remaining 1%."

Dawn Farm Foods said it "continues to be a very strong supporter and customer of the Irish beef industry and remains committed to sourcing significant volumes of supply from Irish sources in the years ahead".

Bord Bia

The issue has caused outrage among some farm organisations and politicians, particularly in light of the concerns raised over the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.

However, the government has defended Larry Murrin in recent days.

In the Dáil, Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday (Wednesday, January 21) told the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald that Bord Bia has been "performing exceptionally well" after she called for its chair to resign.

Deputy McDonald had written to the Taoiseach stating that she believes Larry Murrin's role as chair of Bord Bia is "incompatible" with his role in Dawn Farms.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said this week that Larry Murrin, has "discharged his duties" satisfactorily since he was appointed as chair of Bord Bia in 2024.

Chair

Larry Murrin was appointed as chair of Bord Bia on April 16, 2024 for a period of three years, by the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine [Charlie McConalogue] following a competitive process managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).

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".

"It has been our great honour since our establishment in 1985 to support bringing high quality Irish products to the world.

"However, as is the nature of successfully working with leading global brands, we are required to source beef from selected countries outside of Ireland to ensure both continuity of supply for all contingency eventualities, and in some cases to meet specific customer requirements.

"This requirement to maintain contingency supply options is not a new practice either for Dawn Farm Foods or other similar companies," the letter states.

Murrin 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".

"It is important to note also that only through the commitment to meet the required stipulations of our customers, that Dawn Farm Foods has been able to maximise the opportunity for Irish meat in these accounts and markets, returning directly back to Irish farmers," the letter said.

"A successful Irish company that has been highly supportive of Bord Bia and its stakeholders and is required by its important international customers to have contingency sourcing, cannot be equated to a lack of support for Irish beef farmers," Murrin added.