Farmers protest outside the Dáil as Bord Bia chair defends his position
Farmers burn their Bord Bia paperwork outside the Dáil ahead of Larry Murrin going before the agricultural committee.
Farmers and farming organisations rallied outside the Dáil to protest on Thursday, February 5, as Bord Bia Chair Larry Murrin spoke to the agricultural committee.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Finbarr Reburn, a farmer from Co Cavan, said: “We are here to see Larry Murrin dethroned from Bord Bia.”
“Farmers throughout the country are absolutely livid,” he said.
Mr Reburn relayed that farmers are frustrated with the standards they have to adhere to.
Also protesting outside was Cavan farmer, Seamus O’Reilly, who said: “Larry has let down Irish beef and the Irish farmer.”
Discussing what he has heard among farming circles, Mr O’Reilly said farmers may begin to prohibit the Bord Bia audits that are conducted on Irish farms.
“Everyone is thinking about not doing their audits that come around every 18 months."
John Maloney, a farmer from Co Limerick, also protesting outside the Dáil, voiced the worries farmers had of Murrin’s company, Dawn Farms, putting beef from Brazil through the Irish system, saying it “could damage the reputation of our beef as well.”
“Farmers are incensed about this… farmers have to go through so much red tape and regulations, which is a burden on them, then they see the chair of Bord Bia bringing in substandard beef and bringing it here,” Mr Maloney told the Irish Examiner.
Speaking on the farmer sentiment, Mr Maloney said: “It's very unfair and we feel the chair has to step down.”
“We're concerned about the way the government is standing behind Larry Murrin. We feel the government should listen to farmers. They feel [farmers] that the reputation of Bord Bia has been undermined, and we feel this chairman has to step down.”
Speaking on what he would like to see done to begin to rectify farmers’ trust in Bord Bia, My Maloney said: “We feel there needs to be more farmer representation on the board.”
