Agriculture Minister asks Irish Farmers’ Association to halt Bord Bia protest

Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon has asked the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) to encourage protesters in an office to leave while engagements to resolve a dispute take place.

The IFA said it has been protesting at Bord Bia’s offices since January 26, with five people occupying the lobby of the building since February 3.

The IFA is also planning a protest outside Mr Heydon’s constituency office in Newbridge on Saturday afternoon.

They are part of several demonstrations organised by the farming organisation in the dispute with Bord Bia, the state agency charged with promoting and enforcing standards in Irish food.

Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin has faced calls to step down after revelations that his company Dawn Farm Foods sourced “less than 1%” of its beef from Brazil last year for contingency planning in a contract.

He appeared before a committee earlier this month and said security of supply agreements with major international customers require provisions for food crises, disease outbreaks and supply issues.

He said that while his company mostly buys from Irish farmers, he needed to demonstrate that Ireland can import beef from somewhere else as part of contingency planning.

He said allegations of a conflict of interest are “false” and “driven” by social media.

On Thursday, Mr Heydon said Mr Murrin gave a “robust and in-depth” explanation at committee and had his full confidence.

“There has been extensive engagement and dialogue in relation to this issue since it was first raised,” he said.

He listed a meeting with farming groups including the IFA last Friday, and commitments by Bord Bia as a result, including establishing a farmers’ forum to improve engagement.

“Furthermore, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will undertake an initiative to enhance understanding of global supply chains for Irish food and drink and an understanding of labelling and food information for the consumer requirement,” he said.

“Following this meeting, feedback has been received from six farming organisations – the Irish Farmers’ Association, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Irish Grain Growers Group (IGGG), The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), Macra na Feirme (MACRA) and Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) – in relation to these proposals and work is now under way to advance them.

“The board of Bord Bia met for a scheduled meeting on Wednesday 18 February. Following the meeting, the IFA submitted a document, consisting of seven strands, requesting that the board of Bord Bia commit to initiate a review process into the various issues that have arisen in recent weeks.

“Of the seven strands, many relating to the QAS schemes, a significant number can be dealt with by the farmers’ forum which Bord Bia is establishing on foot of the February 13 meeting commitments.

“In addition, I am examining the option to commission an expert-led governance review which would cover the other strands of the IFA proposal.

“I believe an external, independent and expert-led review will be crucial in resolving issues credibly and objectively.

“There has been detailed direct engagement by my department with the IFA at senior official level to discuss a potential compromise.”

He said he had spoken to IFA president Francie Gorman in recent days and believes there is a chance for a resolution.

“This protracted dispute is not in the best interest of the agri-food sector,” he said.

“Last week a written request to cease the protest was sent to the IFA from the board of Bord Bia, the IFA have not stood down the protest.

“Rather they submitted a document requesting a review process into the various issues that have arisen in recent weeks.

“Again, many of the points raised by the IFA in that request will be dealt with by the farmers’ forum which Bord Bia is establishing on foot of the February 13 meeting commitments.

“The board of Bord Bia will meet again next Monday, 2 March, and they will be consulted on my proposal to establish an independently run governance review to try to move this situation forward.

“The independent expert-led governance review will objectively assess the matters raised and provide me with recommendations.

“I propose that after Monday’s meeting, the board would not meet again until the review is complete.

“I ask the IFA to engage with these proposals in good faith, and to encourage the protesters still in the Bord Bia building to leave.

“In the meantime, 140 staff in Bord Bia remain unable to access their office for their normal work, as a result of the continued occupation of the building’s lobby by IFA protesters.”