'I am the son of a farmer' Murrin tells Oireachtas committee
Larry Murrin, today (Thursday, February 5) told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food that, as the "son of a farmer from Co. Meath", he has 'enormous respect for Irish farmers".
Murrin, who is the chair of Bord Bia and the CEO of Dawn Farm Foods, said that "farming shaped my values, my work ethic, and my understanding of markets".
Murrin has been at the centre of a storm in recent weeks over whether his role as chair of Bord Bia is, as some have claimed, "incompatible" with his role as CEO of Dawn Farm Foods.
The Irish company has confirmed that the business sources some beef from Brazil. According to Dawn Farm Foods, Brazilian beef accounted for 1% of its beef supply in 2025.
The country's largest farm organisations, as well as the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, have said they believe Larry Murrin's role as chair of Bord Bia is "incompatible" with his role with Dawn Farms.
Meanwhile the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has held an 11-day protest at Bord Bia's HQ in Dublin calling for the chair of Bord Bia to resign or be removed.
The chair of the Oireachtas committee, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan, said it had invited Murrin to primarily discuss "how recent media headlines in relation to the importation of Brazilian beef into Ireland may impact on the important work done by the organisation.”
Murrin
In his opening statement to the Oireachtas committee today, Murrin said that he understand the "frustration being expressed by farmers".
"I fully respect their right to voice concern. However, I do not support the behaviour of IFA members occupying Bord Bia reception in recent days," he stated.
"It is also important to clarify my role as chair of Bord Bia. It is a non-executive position.
"As chair, I do not manage day-to-day operations, run Quality Assurance programmes, or manage the organisation.
"That is the role of the CEO and the executive leadership team. I applied for this role because I bring the perspective of international markets and global customers - experience that matters for an export-led organisation such as Bord Bia," he told the committee.
Murrin also outlined that he co-founded Dawn Farm Foods in 1985 with the Queally family of Waterford.
"Today, we employ 1,400 people, 700 of whom are based at our Headquarters in Naas, Co. Kildare.
"We are the largest cooked meat ingredients company in Europe, with manufacturing operations in Ireland, the UK, and Germany, supplying customers in 55 countries worldwide.
"Since 2020 alone, our economic impact in Ireland is in excess of €1 billion and the majority of that represents Irish raw materials, wages and services," Murrin told TDs and senators.
Dawn Farms
He also said it was important to "clarify" that Dawn Farms does not kill cattle or produce beef.
"In fact, we are a major customer of Irish beef producers.
"We specialise in customised cooked meat products for our clients. Think pizza, sandwiches - on the go - ready meals, recipe dishes, and think every major restaurant chain on the high street inmore than 55 countries.
"I can guarantee everyone on this committee who hasenjoyed any of the above, you have almost certainly consumed products supplied by Dawn Farms in Naas at some point in time," Murrin said.
He also told senators and TDs that he had publicly stated "that over 80% of our business is conducted with just 12 global customers, relationships that span more than 30 years".
"The bedrock of these commercial relationships is commercial confidentiality.
"I acknowledge that Ireland's beef production is 700% self-sufficient, with over 90% exported, but this matter is not about self-sufficiency," the chair of Bord Bia added.
Instead the CEO of Dawn Farm set out to members what is "meant by security of supply and the role of being a partner within the supply chain to a major international customer".
Murrin said: "Dawn Farms serves as the preferred supplier of cooked meat ingredients for many major international food brands.
"This arrangement has presented an excellent opportunity for Ireland for more than three decades, enabling large quantities of Irish beef and other Irish food products to reach overseas markets.
"However, as part of our agreement, many of our customers require the following: in the event of a food crisis, disease outbreak, or supply disruption anywhere in Europe, Dawn Farms must be agile and able to activate a supply of beef or anyother raw material from different sources.
"And that activation must be proven and real and practiced. This also includes dual manufacturing capability".
Labelling
Murrin said he wanted to tell the committeee about the issue of labelling.
"Dawn Farms imported less than 1% of its beef from Brazil in 2025 to meet a requirement of contingency planning.
"Sourcing a small quantity outside Ireland does not diminish our commitment to Irish beef or farmers.
"It is for us a necessity that underpins our business. Our labelling has always been transparent. The origins of this story trace back to a photograph shared on social media showing a clearly labelled supply chain.
"This has since been described as a 'revelation', when in fact it reflects long-standing and transparent practice by Dawn Farms and the customer concerned.
"In 2025, Ireland exported approximately €19 billion of food and drink to 180 markets. Almost 50% of those exports depend on imported ingredients. This reflects the practical reality of our export-led food and drink sector in today’s global marketplace," he added.
Allegations
Murrin said that a farming organisation had alleged that he was "fundamentally conflicted" in undertaking his duties aschair of Bord Bia because he was CEO of Dawn Farms and sourced beef from Brazil "to meet our contingency planning and supply chain commitments to customers".
"The charge is that it is incompatible for me to be chair of Bord Bia while being involved with Dawn Farms.
"To be clear, I have never been conflicted in undertaking my role as chair of Bord Bia, which is to lead the board and ensure its effectiveness.
"I have spent my entire working life advocating on behalf of Irish food, drink, and agriculture in global markets in the best interests of Ireland.
"I have spent every week since, assuming the chair of Bord Bia doing likewise. That will not change," Murrin said.
