The announcement by The Dealer last week that former Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter has taken up the role of chair of the joint venture between Larry Goodman’s ABP and Fane Valley has caused a stir.

Cotter retired as Bord Bia boss in January and is now the chair of the joint venture set up by ABP with Fane Valley to run Slaney and ICM.

Beef farmers, in particular, have been contacting me since I wrote the piece last week. It got me thinking, was it a bit soon after retiring to take up such a role?

A spokesperson for the chair of Bord Bia, Michael Carey, confirmed that Cotter did not have to adhere to a cooling-off period.

This is odd seeing as the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour has in place a 12-month cooling period for retiring civil servants. Bord Bia is a semi-state body.

To his credit, Cotter is an ideal candidate for the job. He played a pivotal role in the promotion of beef as Bord Bia boss.

The optics for beef farmers, however, are terrible.