Laois councillors says chairman of Bord Bia must resign over conflict of interest
Laois Co Council HQ at County Hall, Portlaoise
CHAIR of Bord Bia Larry Murrin must resign, given the conflict of interest between his own investments and that of his position, according to members of Laois Co Council.
The latest meeting of the local authority saw members attach a provision to a motion which called on the government to review and enhance the vetting procedures for potential chairpersons and board members of state and semi-state bodies; the amendment stipulated that LCC also urges the government to press the chairman of Bord Bia to resign with immediate effect.
The IFA has been demanding the chair of Bord Bia Larry Murrin resign ever since it emerged that he was importing Brazilian beef and chicken. Ever since, a delegation of protesting farmers has maintained an active blockade outside the headquarters of Bord Bia in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
The cathaoirleach of Laois Co Council Barry Walsh summed up the issue: "Farmers are worried about double standards, conflicts of interest and a clear breach of basic principles. These are not small concerns, they go right to the core of trust and fairness. Values every farmer here lives by. Right now, farmers and IFA members feel let down and feel that the high standards expected of them are not being followed by those in charge. When the integrity of our national food board is questioned, it’s not just a problem for the board, it's a problem for the reputation of Irish farming as a whole, which is why we are now formally asking the chairman of Bord Bia to step aside, as stated in our motion."
Cllr John King highlighted the tremendous sacrifice the protesting members of the IFA were making protesting outside the Dublin HQ round the clock and concluded that, eventually, Bord BIA, and by extension the government – who have both been intractable and silent throughout the controversy – will have to eventually meet with farmers and negotiate properly and in good faith.
Cllr Vivienne Phelan explained that the qualifications she obtained after completing her veterinary undergraduate at UCD and in food law from the Law Society were a real eye-opener in terms of food safety. Cllr Phelan said: ‘‘I can see, no doubt, that Irish farmers are operating to the highest international standards for food safety and there's no doubt that this is a slap in the face to all those farmers jumping through hoops every day of the week to make a livelihood."
To underscore the perceived ridiculousness of the chair of Bord BIA’s continuing tenure, cllr Paddy Buggy made a point of highlighting a recent speech by the IFA president, where he asked was it fair to hire someone to Bord BIA, who a) imported Brazilian beef into the Irish market for his own enterprise; b) imported Brazilian chicken into the market; and c) whose company – Dawn Meats – lacks key Bord Bia certifications.
Additional concerns were raised about how Mr Murrin, with such an obvious conflict of interest, had been allowed take up the position in the first place, with the minister for agriculture Martin Heydon and, indeed, the government as a whole branded as potentially either protecting Mr Murrin for cronyistic reasons or that the government was simply kicking the political football round.
One councillor concluded that there was broad support across Ireland for the current chair’s removal.
The statement referred to a recent Red C poll, which found that " 76% of respondents want Larry Murrin to leave his position so a new chair can be appointed."
