ICSA president Sean McNamara has said today’s appearance by Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food served only to reinforce the fundamental problem of double standards within Bord Bia. Speaking from Leinster House following the Committee meeting he said, “Farmers listening to this hearing will have heard very clearly that while they are expected to meet strict rules with no flexibility, the chair of Bord Bia believes flexibility and sourcing Brazilian beef are acceptable when it suits the business.”

 Continuing Mr McNamara said, “Mr Murrin was questioned as chair of Bord Bia, but he repeatedly answered from the perspective of a CEO of a multinational food company. That gets to the heart of the problem. Bord Bia exists to represent Irish food and Irish farmers. When its chair is defending commercial sourcing decisions instead of farmer confidence in the system, credibility is lost.”

 He said, “Our farmers are required to comply fully with Bord Bia quality assurance standards or face penalties. There is no allowance for contingency, no tolerance for exceptions, and no ‘less than 1%’ rule for farmers. The standards are absolute, and farmers are entitled to expect that the same principles applied to them also apply at the very top of Bord Bia. This is not a question of whether something is legal or not. It is a question of trust and credibility. Mr Murrin said he does not see any conflict of interest and believes he has done nothing wrong. But that is not how farmers or consumers see it.”

 Concluding, Mr McNamara said, “At farm level, confidence in Bord Bia has been shattered by this. Bord Bia cannot demand total compliance from farmers while its chair openly defends sourcing Brazilian beef for his own business. That position is simply not sustainable. ICSA remains resolute that his position as chair of Bord Bia is untenable.”