Bord Bia’s annual accounts for 2024 disclose what the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) called “a material level of non-compliance with procurement rules”, which occurred in respect of contracts that operated during the year.

The total of that non-compliant spending was €2.64m. The vast majority of that spending, at €2.37m, was on marketing services.

There was €110,000 on ICT services, €90,000 on HR services and €70,000 on legal services.

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Bord Bia in its annual report said that in the case of €880,000 of the spending, new contracts were being put in place, while there were €1.76m of contracts being tendered.

A spokesperson for Bord Bia said: "Non-compliant procurement can occur when cumulative supplier expenditure exceeds tender thresholds within a given year.

"In 2024, Bord Bia proactively monitored this and found some cases where spending went over the tender threshold in that particular year.

"For each case, corrective actions are under way, including contract updates and/or completion of required documentation, supported by enhanced monitoring to manage supplier spend on an ongoing basis."

The C&AG also highlighted the payment of a legal settlement of €236,000 during the year.

Settlement

He notes the it “arose from a settlement agreement with an individual to terminate Workplace Relations Commission [WRC] proceedings”.

There were no details given on the background to how this payment arose,or what the complaint was about. Payments by the WRC of over €200,000 are unusual.

A spokesperson for Bord Bia said: "The legal settlement made is subject to legally binding confidentiality agreements and further details cannot be provided."

Bord Bia’s income for 2024 was €99.1m, a small increase from the €97.8m of income the previous year.

There was a €4m increase in Oireachtas grants to €58.3m and income from the statutory levy on slaughtered and exported increased by €116,000 to €6.07m.

The levy rate on livestock remained unchanged at €1.90 per head for cattle, 25c for sheep and 35c per head for pigs.

On the expenses side, spending on marketing dropped €5.5m to €49.8m and quality assurance schemes was down €652,000 to €9.51m. Pay and operating expenses rose by €3.7m to €30.15m.

The number of employees at the organisation earning more than €100,000 increased by 50% to 38.