The Irish Farmers' Association’s (IFA) national council met on Friday afternoon and passed a unanimous resolution that the association’s protest outside Bord Bia will continue until the State body's chair Larry Murrin resigns or is removed.
The protest started last Monday and will enter its sixth day on Saturday.
The national council granted full authority to the IFA's national officers’ committee to take “whatever action is needed to advance our campaign”, the IFA said on Friday evening.
The council noted that Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon made what it described as “some outrageous accusations against [the] IFA under Dáil privilege this week, which reflect very poorly on him as Minister”.
Minister Heydon accused the IFA of rushing out to protest and said that it had played a “considerable part in damaging Bord Bia’s reputation”.
IFA president Francie Gorman said: “The national council [was] very angry about some of the comments by the Minister, which were designed to undermine our democratic association.
"I have never seen farmers so resolute on an issue and they will not be distracted by these attempts to smear the work of the organisation,” he said.
“The Minister has to see the damage that the chair is doing while he remains in office.
"It was Minister Heydon himself who rushed to judgment in advance of the board meeting by publicly supporting in the chair which was a clear signal to board members,” Gorman said.
Larry Murrin, the chair of Bord Bia. \ Claire Nash
The IFA president said the turnout at the protest since Monday is an indication of the depth of feeling among farmers.
“It is untenable that farmers would face stricter [quality assurance] controls and the chair of Bord Bia thinks it’s acceptable to import Brazilian beef which is nowhere near those standards. Larry Murrin should do the right thing and leave his role. Only then can confidence be rebuilt in Bord Bia,” he said.
Murrin’s company Dawn Farm Foods imported 1% of its supply from Brazil last year, sourcing the rest of its beef from Ireland, the UK and the EU.
Murrin told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that the issue has been “wildly inflated beyond its true meaning”. He said that the campaign aimed at him and Bord Bia “is damaging Ireland’s reputation”.
Read more
‘Emotional nonsense’: Murrin on beef imports and why he intends to stay put
‘Witch hunt’: Minister blames IFA for big chunk of Bord Bia damage
The Irish Farmers' Association’s (IFA) national council met on Friday afternoon and passed a unanimous resolution that the association’s protest outside Bord Bia will continue until the State body's chair Larry Murrin resigns or is removed.
The protest started last Monday and will enter its sixth day on Saturday.
The national council granted full authority to the IFA's national officers’ committee to take “whatever action is needed to advance our campaign”, the IFA said on Friday evening.
The council noted that Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon made what it described as “some outrageous accusations against [the] IFA under Dáil privilege this week, which reflect very poorly on him as Minister”.
Minister Heydon accused the IFA of rushing out to protest and said that it had played a “considerable part in damaging Bord Bia’s reputation”.
IFA president Francie Gorman said: “The national council [was] very angry about some of the comments by the Minister, which were designed to undermine our democratic association.
"I have never seen farmers so resolute on an issue and they will not be distracted by these attempts to smear the work of the organisation,” he said.
“The Minister has to see the damage that the chair is doing while he remains in office.
"It was Minister Heydon himself who rushed to judgment in advance of the board meeting by publicly supporting in the chair which was a clear signal to board members,” Gorman said.
Larry Murrin, the chair of Bord Bia. \ Claire Nash
The IFA president said the turnout at the protest since Monday is an indication of the depth of feeling among farmers.
“It is untenable that farmers would face stricter [quality assurance] controls and the chair of Bord Bia thinks it’s acceptable to import Brazilian beef which is nowhere near those standards. Larry Murrin should do the right thing and leave his role. Only then can confidence be rebuilt in Bord Bia,” he said.
Murrin’s company Dawn Farm Foods imported 1% of its supply from Brazil last year, sourcing the rest of its beef from Ireland, the UK and the EU.
Murrin told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that the issue has been “wildly inflated beyond its true meaning”. He said that the campaign aimed at him and Bord Bia “is damaging Ireland’s reputation”.
Read more
‘Emotional nonsense’: Murrin on beef imports and why he intends to stay put
‘Witch hunt’: Minister blames IFA for big chunk of Bord Bia damage
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