Heydon has 'full confidence' in Bord Bia chair
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has expressed "full confidence" in Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin.
The comments come after a special meeting of the board of Bord Bia today (Thursday, January 22) after a controversy erupted about its chair, Larry Murrin.
Murrin is the managing director of Dawn Farm Foods which confirmed to Agriland last week that Brazilian beef accounted for 1% of its beef supply in 2025.
The company said that Irish beef made up the majority of its supply in 2025 and together with the UK and other EU countries accounted for 99% of its annual supply.
In a letter to the board of Bord Bia dated January 19, Murrin said: "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".
Confidence
In a lengthy statement issued this evening, Minister Heydon said that Larry Murrin will continue to serve as chair of Bord Bia, "and he has my full confidence in doing so".
"I believe that Bord Bia’s contribution to record year on year increase in the value of Irish food and drinks produce must be protected, in the best interests of the farmers who produce that product," he said.
Irish food and drink exports reached a record €19 billion in 2025.
Minister Heydon said he has been informed that the board had "a good and thorough discussion of the issues covered in the media in recent days, and that the majority, while not unanimous, of board members, was fully supportive of the chair continuing to serve".
"I completely understand the emotion for farmers when it comes to issues associated with the integrated nature of food supply around the globe.
"Recent debates around the Mercosur trade deal highlight Irish farmers unease for imported product from outside of the EU.
"We also must recognise that as a food producing island we export 90% of that food and drink product and we depend on that very integrated trade.
"The work of Bord Bia is critical to that success," he said.
Emotion
Minister Heydon said it would be "irresponsible to just follow emotion in relation to the media reports this week regarding the chairman of Bord Bia when it is accepted by all that no rules were broken by him or his company".
"Mr Murrin has built a major Irish food company, with a range of global food brands.
"The company is a significant buyer of Irish inputs and has added significant value to the sector as a whole.
"Mr Murrin has explained that the nature of supply contracts for key customers means that contingencies must be in place to ensure continuity of supply in the unlikely event of supply disruption in Ireland," Heydon said.
The minister said that Larry Murrin's role as chair of Bord Bia is to "provide innovative strategic leadership and direction to ensure the continued growth of Ireland’s most important indigenous sector, promoting and marketing Ireland’s global reputation as a leading source of sustainable food, drink and horticulture products".
Pointing to "an uncertain geo-political environment", Minister Heydon said "all stakeholders across the sector must continue to work together in facing and adapting to these challenges as we strive to maintain recent success".
"I know that farmers in particular are feeling under pressure from a variety of issues.
"I want to assure them that my department and Bord Bia, are doing everything possible to support them.
"Origin Green and the Quality Assurance system on which it is built, delivers significant benefits for its farmer members, in ensuring that our quality Irish food and drink rightly has a place in the premium market segments in countries around the world," he said.
Bord Bia
The confirmation that Dawn Farm Foods source some beef in Brazil has caused outrage among some farm organisations and politicians, particularly in light of the concerns raised over the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.
The 14 members of the board of Bord Bia include the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA).
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.
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.
Speaking after the meeting, IFA president Francie Gorman called for Larry Murrin to be removed as the chair of Bord Bia.
ICMSA president Denis Drennan confirmed that he supported a motion of ‘no confidence’ in Murrin during the meeting.
He added that it is now up to Minister Heydon to restore farmer confidence in the semi-state organisation.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald in the Dáil yesterday that Bord Bia has been "performing exceptionally well" after she called for its chair to resign.
Deputy McDonald wrote to the Taoiseach stating that she believes Larry Murrin's role as chair of Bord Bia is "incompatible" with his role in Dawn Farms.
