A vote on a Sinn Féin Dáil motion calling on the government to remove Larry Murrin as chairperson of the board of Bord Bia has been deferred after the government tabled an amendment to the motion.

It followed a fiery debate in the Dáil yesterday evening (Wednesday, February 4) in which Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, as well as the junior ministers at his department, Michael Healy-Rae and Timmy Dooley, criticised the Sinn Féin motion.

The motion was supported in the Dáil by Sinn Féin TDs Martin Kenny (the party's spokesperson on agriculture), Pearse Doherty, and several other TDs from Sinn Féin and other opposition parties.

The motion is in response to the controversy surrounding Murrin's role as Bord Bia chairperson while his business, Dawn Farm Foods, sources some of its beef from Brazil.

It has been argued by Sinn Féin, other opposition politicians, and farm organisations that this clashes with his role as chair of the body tasked with promoting Irish food.

The Sinn Féin motion notes the mission statement of Bord Bia, the importance of food and drink to the economy, and the importance of farmers as primary producers.

The motion then goes on to say "Irish farmers and their representative organisations have lost confidence in the chairperson of Bord Bia".

It also claims that Murrin continuing as Bord Bia chair "undermines public confidence in Bord Bia and damages Ireland's reputation as a world leader producing food that adheres to the highest standards".

The Sinn Féin motion calls on Minister Heydon to remove Murrin from his role as chair.

The government amendment to the motion, on the other hand, would have deleted this call, and the claims over lack of confidence in Bord Bia, and would have replaced them with references to the value of Irish agri-food exports and Bord Bia's role in promoting them.

The amendment would have also stated that the government retains confidence in the chairperson.

After impassioned debate on both sides of the Dáil, the vote on the amendment was deferred until the regular voting time in the Dáil next week.