BORD BIA CHAIR Larry Murrin has denied any conflict of interest in his roles as Chair of Bord Bia and CEO of Dawn Farms, speaking to the Oireachtas Agriculture committee. 

It follows revelations from an article in Agriland.ie which stated that Murrin’s firm, Dawn Farms, sourced some of its beef from Brazil last year.

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon last month came out in support of Murrin, saying he has “full confidence” in his ability to continue as chair. 

However, political pressure has been mounting, with Sinn Féin’s agriculture spokesperson Martin Kenny saying Bord Bia can’t continue to promote Irish beef while its chair has imported Brazilian beef.

In his opening statement for today’s committee, Murrin said he respects farmer’s right to voice concern, but condemned the behaviour of IFA members who entered Bord Bia’s HQ in Dublin and refused to leave this week after calling for Murrin to step down.

He then said he has “never been conflicted” in his role as Chair of Bord Bia.

Murrin said Dawn Farms imported Brazilian beef last year to meet a requirement of “contingency planning” to ensure security of supply for its partners.

Security of supply refers to the continuous food supply to customers, no matter the circumstance.

He said Dawn Farms is a B2B seller and conducts 80% of its business with 12 global customers, adding that security of supply is important “within the supply chain to a major international customer”.

“Dawn Farms serves as the preferred supplier of cooked meat ingredients for many
major international food brands. This arrangement has presented an excellent opportunity for Ireland for more than three decades, enabling large quantities of Irish beef and other Irish food products to reach overseas markets,” he said.

“As part of our agreement, many of our customers require the following: In the event of a food crisis, disease outbreak, or supply disruption anywhere in Europe, Dawn Farms must be agile and able to activate a supply of beef or any other raw material from different sources. And that activation must be proven and real and practiced.”

He said the business model brings “substantial, long-term value to Ireland”.

“Farmers benefit from stable demand and favourable prices, while the customer’s supply
chain is derisked and consequently, the value of Irish exports is increased.”

He also said the company’s labelling on the origin of its meat “has always been transparent”. 

He refuted “false” claims that the Bord Bia Quality Mark has appeared on non-Irish meat products.

“Those claims are false and have caused damage.”