Around 50 poultry farmers gathered in Co. Monaghan this morning (Thursday, February 5) as they urged the chair of Bord Bia, Larry Murrin, to step down from his position.

This latest move came as the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has been protesting outside and inside the headquarters of Bord Bia on Pembroke Road in Dublin about its chair, Murrin, who is also the CEO of Dawn Farm Foods.

The Irish company confirmed that the business sources some beef from Brazil. According to Dawn Farms, Brazilian beef accounted for 1% of its beef supply in 2025.

The IFA believes that "the position of the Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin is untenable" and he should stand down.

Poultry producers gathered at the Hillgrove Hotel in Co. Monaghan for a number of hours this morning, where the IFA said Bord Bia was due to hold a "workshop on new criteria and pilot audits".

The workshop was to discuss the progression of pilot audits in the context of avian influenza and associated biosecurity risks, according to Bord Bia.

Bord Bia said stakeholders will be contacted to reschedule the meeting.

According to the IFA, "we cannot have constructive engagement until the chair is removed and confidence is restored".

IFA poultry committee chair Brendan Soden said he understands the meeting due to be held this morning did not go ahead in the end.

'Unacceptable

Soden had said it was "completely unacceptable" for this meeting to be held.

"At the minute, we cannot engage in these meetings anymore until Larry Murrin resigns from his position or the minister [Martin Heydon] removes him immediately."

Soden told Agriland that the IFA "would not enter talks or be involved" in discussions on Bord Bia producer standards and criteria while Murrin is still in place as chair.

He said there was a mixture of poultry farmers at the protest this morning, those producing meat and eggs.

Soden said: "It is about time that Murrin decided to either resign or the minister stepped up and removed him.

"This is going on far too long - we're in day 11 of this [protesting] and it's quite clear to everybody involved in farming or not what the difference in right or wrong is, and what he [Murrin] is doing is wrong."

Transparency

The IFA poultry chair in recent days has called on Murrin to "confirm if his companies import Brazilian chicken as well as Brazilian beef".

"He should confirm where he gets his chicken and poultry from and what, if any, comes from Brazil," Brendan Soden said.

"Poultry farmers in Brazil have little or no regulations compared to the EU. The same applies to Thailand and other countries from where chicken is being imported.

“As chair of Bord Bia we should have full transparency from Murrin,” he said.

Murrin is appearing before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food today.