Independent TD Carol Nolan has expressed concerns that the length of time served by some members of the National Milk Agency (NMA) could give rise to a perception of “jobs for life” after confirmation that four board members served or are still serving tenures in excess of 25 years.

The concern comes as the body’s last chair finished up a 31-year stint as the agency’s head just last year.

The NMA is the State agency set up in 1994 to “regulate the supply of milk for liquid consumption throughout the State” in accordance with the relevant regulations.

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The agency had just one chair in the 31-year span from its establishment up until last year – Denis Murphy – with former Oireachtas agriculture committee chair ex-Tipperary TD and dairy farmer Jackie Cahill appointed to the role in April 2026.

The response to a parliamentary question submitted by Deputy Nolan to Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon confirmed that a sitting NMA producer representative was first appointed in 1994, a consumer representative has served an unbroken term since 1997 and a distributors’ representative has been in the job since 2000.

‘Jobs for life’ perception

The Offaly TD stated that while she recognises that “experienced individuals with deep sectoral knowledge are valuable, terms of 25 years or longer “inevitably gives rise to perceptions of a ‘jobs for life’ culture”.

“This is no longer tenable in modern governance. It risks reducing fresh thinking, innovation and broader accountability, even where no wrongdoing is alleged.”

Deputy Nolan has called for “greater rotation and renewal” on the NMA’s board, citing the 2016 code of practice for the governance of State bodies 2016 which, she said, “emphasises the importance of appropriate term limits”.

“I believe it may now be time to apply that principle more rigorously to the NMA,” she commented.

“Good governance requires us to move away from the appearance of permanent appointments.

“A refreshed board with a healthy mix of experience and new perspectives might better serve both the dairy sector and consumers in the years ahead.”

Reappointments

Minister Heydon stated that the “specific nature of the work” undertaken by the NMA, as well as the “necessity to nominate individuals with the appropriate balance of relevant skills”, may necessitate the reappointment of board members to the agency.

He said that some individuals are nominated for appointment by various organisations specified in the act that established the NMA in 1994 and that elections are held for producer members every three years.

“The next election will be held in 2027. All other board members are appointed on a three-yearly cycle on the basis of nominations from relevant sectoral interests,” the Minister said.