Bord Bia has responded to IFA criticism of Dawn Farm Foods’ relationship with it’s programmes. In relation to the Food Processing Quality Assurance Scheme it says: “Bord Bia’s Food Processor Standard (FPS) is a voluntary programme.
“Membership is driven by business need and customer requirements. Companies join the FPS to enable themselves, or their customers, to use the Bord Bia Quality Mark on retail products. Dawn Farm Foods is a significant purchaser of Quality Assured Irish beef.
“However, it does not produce consumer-facing retail products, and therefore, they did not apply to this standard,” it says.
At no point did Dawn Farm Foods claim membership, the State agency said.
“Bord Bia has a listing for Dawn Farm Foods on the irishfoodanddrink.com website, primarily used for overseas trade show events.
“Their profile indicated membership in an outdated food processor standard—MPQAS, now known as the FPS. This is the basis of the IFA’s campaign. The accreditations list has since been updated.”
Origin Green
In relation to the IFA’s assertion that Dawn Farm Foods website implied Origin Green gold standard, Bord Bia stated: “Dawn Farm Foods has been a member of the Origin Green programmed since its inception in 2012. Gold membership is awarded annually based on performance against agreed targets and is not permanent.
“Companies may receive gold status in one year and not in another without affecting their overall membership. The logo displayed on the company website clearly identified the year of the award.
“At no stage did Dawn Farm Foods state that it held gold status for 2025. The website has since been updated to avoid any possible misunderstanding, although this was not required.”
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