Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) members have protested outside Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon's constituency office in Newbridge, Co Kildare, as the Larry Murrin saga continues to escalate.

One-hundred people, many of whom had travelled on tractors, gathered outside Martin Heydon's office in the busy Kildare town on Saturday lunchtime.

This action was "in solidarity with the six farmers occupying Bord Bia's offices in Pembroke Street in Dublin, who have had services restricted to them" according to one of the organisers.

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"We've had a lot of support from the public today, with people asking why we're here and what is wrong," said another farmer present.

In the late afternoon, the protesters relocated to Dawn Farm Foods' headquarters outside Naas, in what was described by one of those involved as "a warning shot".

Ministerial response

"We had a very democratic process this week with open debates in the Dáil and the joint oireachtas committee debating this issue," Minister Martin Heydon told the Irish Farmers Journal.

"The whole process clearly outlined that no rules were broken and gave full descriptions of how global trade deals benefit Irish producers and benefit our economy.

"We’ve had the debates - the work of Bord Bia is really important for our farmers incomes," continued Minister Heydon.

"I continue to work on the very big issues for Irish agriculture that I am very focused on, such as the ongoing CAP negotiations, bluetongue, international trade and tariffs, as well as our ongoing efforts to opening new markets for our produce.

"So we move on and I’ll be working away with everyone [who] wants to talk to and work with me."

Restrictions in Bord Bia offices

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Bord Bia's headquarters have had services such as heat, light, electricity and water curtailed.

The six IFA members staging a sit-in shared a video of themselves sharing an apple, saying they hadn't eaten a meal in 21 hours.

The sole exception to this was Tom Byrne, the Wicklow county chair, who, as a diabetic, was, in his own words "fed in isolation".

"We're down to the bare minimum of water," said IFA family farm chair Teresa Roche.

A Bord Bia spokesperson responded: "Despite repeated requests for IFA members to leave the Bord Bia offices, six protesters remain inside our premises as of this (Saturday) afternoon.

"On Friday, IFA members were notified that only limited services and amenities will be available to them over the weekend period.

"The six individuals who remain continue to have access to water and sanitation. They are unlawfully occupying our office and are free to leave at any stage."

Next steps

Martin Heydon words could be read as a fresh invitation to the IFA for talks on what is an ever-widening list of grievances and issues relating to Larry Murrin and Bord Bia.

Earlier on Saturday, the IFA released a statement highlighting 10 issues arising from Larry Murrin's appearance before the Oireachtas joint committee on Thursday.

They include whether there was disclosure to the Bord Bia board by Larry Murrin of a potential conflict of interest, board procedural issues being flagged and Dawn Farm Foods' website implying gold standard Origin Green status, when that was no longer in place among others.

Meanwhile, Bord Bia staff based in the head office have been told to work from home while the building remains occupied. This opens the possibility to the continuation of the current "weekend" restrictions continuing into next week.