Donegal County Council seeks removal of Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin

Donegal County Council has called for the removal of Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin.

The council has become the 15th nationally to do so. This follows recent controversy as it emerged that Dawn Farm Foods, the company that Murrin is Chief Executive of, has been utilising Brazilian beef within its products.

Independent Cllr Michael McBride brought a motion to the March plenary meeting asking the council to pass a vote of no confidence in Murrin.

Cllr McBride said it was “completely unacceptable” that the chairman of the Irish food board would import Brazilian beef to sell to consumers here.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that members of Bord Bia had to go and sit in the Bord Bia offices to try and get a resolution to the situation,” he said.

Cllr McBride said the issue presented a “conflict of interest” causing Irish farmers to lose confidence.

“This was demonstrated in the Red C poll where only 16 per cent of respondents supported Larry Murrin’s decision not to resign as chair of Bord Bia,” he said. “Furthermore, Larry Murrin himself made the decision that there was not a perceived conflict of interest, rather than bringing the matter to Bord Bia and informing them that his company was importing beef from Brazil and seeking their opinion.

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“He also said his company was only importing one per cent of its beef from Brazil and one per cent of its poultry, but how much is the question we have to ask ourselves.”

Cllr McBride also praised Donegal native Christine Friel of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) for her role in the sit-in protest at Bord Bia headquarters in Dublin, which lasted 36 days.

The motion was seconded by Independent Cllr Declan Meehan, who agreed that it was “untenable” for Murrin to continue in his position given the reasons outlined by Cllr McBride.

Director of Finance, Corporate Services and Information Systems, Mr Richard Gibson, said he would convey the decision to Bord Bia once the motion passed.

Brazil is one of the countries included in the The Mercosur Trade Deal. The deal, which will provisionally come into force from May 1, makes it easier for South American countries to sell beef products in the EU, and simpler for EU countries to sell cars in Latin America, a major part of the economy in Germany, France, and Italy.

Farmers' groups in numerous countries, such as Ireland, Poland, Italy, France and Germany protested the deal, raising concerns about the safety of cheaper meat products, and damage to domestic trade.