Bord Bia most reputable organisation in Ireland

'Result is testament to Bord Bia's resillence' 

CEO, Bord Bia, Tara McCarthy. Picture: Marc O’Sullivan.  

Bord Bia is the most reputable organisation in Ireland according to the Ireland RepTrak 2021 study, which includes a survey of over 6,500 members of the public.

The food board was congratulated on Tuesday by minister of state for agriculture Martin Heydon, whose special responsibilities include new market development.

He commended Bord Bia for “standing behind the producers of Ireland and supporting them to reach global markets, reflecting its dedication to promote Irish products here and around the world”.

According to RepTrak, Bord Bia has a reputation score of 85.1, for their role in bringing Ireland’s outstanding food, drink, and horticulture to the world, thus enabling the growth and sustainability of producers in Ireland.

Bord Bia was ranked in first place for Standing Behind its Products.

The public also rated Bord Bia as being amongst the leaders in Working For Society, improving the lives of people and their communities, and being committed to changing the world for the better.

Bord Bia came out on top ahead of credit unions, with An Post placed third, St Vincent’s Private Hospital fourth, Boots Ireland fifth, Mater Private Network sixth, Toyota seventh, Aldi eighth, Kellogg’s ninth, and Lidl tenth.

Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy said: “We are very proud to have topped the Ireland RepTrak 2021 study following what has been an incredibly challenging year for our industry, business and our stakeholders.

“This result is a testament to their resilience, and we are delighted that it has been recognised by the public.

“We believe our commitment to sustainable food production has delivered real innovation and shown leadership in the sector this year, ensuring the continued success of the Irish food and drink industry we are so proud to represent at home and abroad.

“Our reputation is inextricably linked to the hard work and commitment of tens of thousands of farmers and food producers across the country who have helped to build trust and confidence in Irish food.”

The No 1 reputation ranking for the food board comes a week after An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland called for Bord Bia’s Origin Green food and drink sustainability programme to be discontinued because of alleged “conflict of interest between the marketing aims of the programme and the role of Bord Bia in producing their own sustainability assessments and metrics”.

Ruaidhrí O’Boyle, honorary secretary of An Taisce’s climate committee, told the Oireachtas committee on agriculture and the marine last week that “Origin Green suggests that what we are already doing is sustainable.

In other words, if one were to translate that into environmental pressures, the emissions that we are creating in our systems are sustainable because we are green.

“All the funding in the world cannot change the science of our emissions profile.

“If we are damaging our waterways and land, having a nice brand to circulate around the world about it is a busted flush and does not cover the domestic ecological damage that is done.

“The brand has a lot of money behind it and many commercial supporters, but that does not get away from the fact that, at home, we are not sustainably using our land.”