Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that a proposal from the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) to end the dispute with Bord Bia "is being considered".

However, it is understood that the IFA's request that Bord Bia chairperson Larry Murrin step aside for the duration of a proposed review into Bord Bia is not being entertained by the minister.

As Agriland reported on Saturday (February 21), the IFA has proposed a "framework" to resolve the dispute with Bord Bia over its chairperson Larry Murrin.

The IFA has called on Murrin to resign or be removed over his company's sourcing of beef from Brazil.

The IFA has maintained a protest outside Bord Bia's head offices in Dublin, while five members of the farm organisation have been inside the building for around three weeks in a sit-in protest.

The IFA has proposed that a review should take place addressing a range of issues it has raised concerning Bord Bia. The association said that Murrin should step aside for at least the duration of that review.

Speaking in Brussels today (Monday, February 23) before a meeting of EU agriculture ministers, Minister Heydon said: "I've engaged with all farming organisations. We had five hours of a stakeholder meeting where I agreed a number of key principles with Bord Bia, and undertook some work around labelling.

"We've had eight, nine hours of debate around this in the Oireachtas [agriculture and food committee] that culminated with Mr. Murrin being before the the committee and the IFA back with responses to that...but also a lengthy debate in the Dáil that culminated in a vote," the minister said.

"There has been ample dialogue, no doubt about that, with all key partners. My door remains very much open," he added.

The minister said: "The IFA made a proposal, wrote to the board of Bord Bia on Friday [February 20] and that proposal is being considered."

"There are some elements of [the IFA proposal] - while I don’t manage day-to-day activity of any of the semi-state body boards - there are some elements of that that do cross my desk and I’ll work with colleagues on that," he added.

Minister Heydon said: "I absolutely want to find a resolution here as well."

Although the IFA has called for Murrin to step aside from his duties while a review takes place, Agriland understands that the minister remains committed to Murrin staying in place, and does not favour the Bord Bia chair stepping aside for this proposed review, or at all.