IFA Protest Targets Minister Heydon's Newbridge Office Over Bord Bia Chair Controversy

Approximately 60 demonstrators, and up to 15 tractors gathered in protest.

Farmers staged a protest outside Minister for Agriculture and Kildare South TD  Martin Heydon's  constituency office in Newbridge today.

Approximately 60 demonstrators, and up to 15 tractors gathered to voice anger over the actions of the current Bord Bia Chair.

The protest, organised by members of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) in Kildare, is part of wider  demonstrations that have mounted in recent days.

The Chair of Bord Bia Larry Murrin has hit back at what he says is the "misconception of conflict of interest" around his role at the agency.

This week, Murrin appeared at the Oireachtas Agriculture committee following calls from farming groups for him to step down.

The CEO of Dawn Farm Foods confirmed his company imported less than one per cent of its beef from Brazil.

Mr Murrin says sourcing a small amount of beef from outside Ireland does not diminish his company’s commitment to Irish beef.

But IFA President Francie Gorman said the protest reflects frustration and anger over the "inaction" by Bord Bia.

Protestors said importing Brazilian beef represents what they describe as "hypocrisy and double standards" at a time when Irish farmers are being asked to meet increasingly strict requirements. 

In a message directed at Minister Heydon, Jamie, a member of the IFA,  said "farmers put 6 million euro into Bord Bia annually."

In response to queries by Kfm News, Minister Heydon said: "We had a very democratic process this week with open debates in the Dail and Oireachtas committee debating this issue. The whole process clearly outlined that no rules were broken and gave full descriptions of how global trade deals that benefit Irish producers operate and benefit our economy."
 
He added: "We’ve had the debates, the work of Bord Bia is really important for our farmers incomes. I continue to work on the very big issues for Irish agriculture that I am very focused on such as the ongoing CAP negotiations, Bluetongue, international trade and tariffs as well as our ongoing efforts to opening new markets for our produce. So we move on and I’ll be working away with everyone that wants to talk to and work with me."