Irish Farmers Escalate Protests Demanding Resignation of Bord Bia Chairman

The situation of Irish farmers regarding the state food promotion agency Bord Bia is escalating. The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has announced the organization of another major demonstration. It will take place on Saturday, February 28 in Newbridge, County Kildare, outside the constituency office of Minister of State for Rural and Community Development and Animal Welfare, Martin Heydon. The announced participation of tractors and machinery indicates the mass nature of the protest. The decision was made after a series of rallies across the country, including in Athy, County Kildare and Claremorris, County Mayo, which gathered over 1,500 people in total. The core of the conflict is the case of Bord Bia Chairman Larry Murrin. A month ago, it was revealed that his company Dawn Farms, imports beef from Brazil into Ireland. For Irish farmers, for whom Bord Bia is a key tool for promoting domestic, high-quality food abroad, this fact is unacceptable and constitutes a clear conflict of interest. Farmers are demanding Murrin's immediate resignation. In response to the lack of action from the agency and the ministry, the IFA began a picket outside Bord Bia's headquarters in Dublin a month ago, which since February 3 has transformed into an occupation of the reception hall. The agency, in a released statement, called this dispute "the most serious breakdown in relations with a key stakeholder group" in its 30-year history and admitted that 140 of its employees are forced to work remotely. The relationship between Irish farmers and the government and state agencies is characterized by a long history of disputes and protests, dating back to the 1960s, when mass demonstrations led to the creation of strong professional organizations. Issues related to the import of cheap food from third countries, competing with local production, have been a source of tension for decades in the context of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and global trade agreements. IFA President Francie Gorman sharply criticized both Chairman Murrin and Minister Heydon. He stated that he called for the Bord Bia board to meet without its chairman, which is in line with the code of good practice for managing state bodies, but this call went unanswered. According to Gorman, assurances from the ministry and the Bord Bia board about their willingness to engage in dialogue are "empty rhetoric." He accused Minister Heydon of "dragging his feet" and lacking understanding of the deep frustration of the farming community. The planned demonstration in Newbridge aims to directly pressure the politician. The situation remains deadlocked – neither Chairman Murrin nor Minister Heydon have, according to the farmers, proposed any concrete solution to the crisis, which is paralyzing the work of an important state institution and undermining trust in the system promoting Irish food.