The Comptroller and Auditor General has noted that a “material level of non-compliance with procurement rules” occurred at Bord Bia in 2025.

The agency’s own statement of financial controls, included in its financial report for 2025 and signed by chair Larry Murrin, said Bord Bia had identified €1.2m of expenditure which was “incurred without the operation of a competitive tendering procedure in accordance with procurement guidelines”.

The statement gave no breakdown of where the non-complaint spending occurred.

This is the second year in a row that the Government auditor has flagged non-compliant spending at the agency.

In 2024, Bord Bia disclosed €2.6m in non-compliant spending.

Total spending at Bord Bia rose by €6.4m to €101.7m in 2025, with spending on marketing and promotion increasing by 20% to €57.9m. Pay and retirement costs increased by €1m to €21.1m.

Salaries

Bord Bia has 183 whole-time equivalent staff in 2025, an increase of 17 over the number employed in 2024.

The number of employees whose remuneration topped €100,000 rose to 46, meaning one in four employees at the agency earned a six-figure income. Those figures are before deductions relating to the public sector pension levy.

CEO Jim O’Toole saw his salary increase by €6,298 to €198,282.

Consultancy costs more than doubled to €1.85m, with spending under ‘business improvement’ and ‘new system development’ accounting for the increase.

Bord Bia has been contacted for comment.