“A serious mistake” was made by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon in expressing his full confidence in Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Seán McNamara has said.
McNamara added that Minister Heydon has dismissed serious, legitimate farmer concerns as what he said the Minister called “emotions”.
“Farmers are not confused or emotional. They are asking a very simple and reasonable question.
“How can the chair of Bord Bia credibly promote Irish beef while overseeing a company that imports beef from Brazil and can he genuinely stand over the standards under which that beef is produced?” he said.
The ICSA president added that Minister Heydon’s insistence that no rules were broken “completely misses the point”.
“This is not about legal technicalities. This is about trust and credibility. Irish farmers are subject to layer upon layer of inspections, audits and quality assurance checks.
“They are expected to meet the highest standards in the world, yet they are being asked to compete with imports that do not face anything like the same level of scrutiny,” he stated.
Disingenuous
Attempts to downplay the issue by focusing on the volume of Brazilian beef involved were completely disingenuous, McNamara added.
“Whether it is 1% or more is irrelevant. The chair of Bord Bia should not be linked to Brazilian beef at all, especially at a time when the Mercosur deal still threatens to flood our markets with cheap imports of dubious standards that will severely undercut Irish farmers and threaten their survival.
“When the organisations representing farmers cannot support the chair, the Minister’s decision to give full confidence sends a clear signal that farmer concerns are being sidelined,” he said.
The Minister has now taken full responsibility for this situation, McNamara maintained.
“By choosing to defend Larry Murrin, the Minister has made this issue his own [bed]. [The] ICSA believes this decision seriously undermines both farmer and consumer confidence in Bord Bia.
“It exposes the unfair reality that Irish farmers face hundreds of rules and restrictions, while others, including the man leading Bord Bia, operate under a completely different set of standards.
“This issue will not just go away. Minister Heydon must urgently reconsider his support for Larry Murrin’s position,” he said.
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Larry Murrin to remain as Bord Bia chair
“A serious mistake” was made by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon in expressing his full confidence in Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin, president of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) Seán McNamara has said.
McNamara added that Minister Heydon has dismissed serious, legitimate farmer concerns as what he said the Minister called “emotions”.
“Farmers are not confused or emotional. They are asking a very simple and reasonable question.
“How can the chair of Bord Bia credibly promote Irish beef while overseeing a company that imports beef from Brazil and can he genuinely stand over the standards under which that beef is produced?” he said.
The ICSA president added that Minister Heydon’s insistence that no rules were broken “completely misses the point”.
“This is not about legal technicalities. This is about trust and credibility. Irish farmers are subject to layer upon layer of inspections, audits and quality assurance checks.
“They are expected to meet the highest standards in the world, yet they are being asked to compete with imports that do not face anything like the same level of scrutiny,” he stated.
Disingenuous
Attempts to downplay the issue by focusing on the volume of Brazilian beef involved were completely disingenuous, McNamara added.
“Whether it is 1% or more is irrelevant. The chair of Bord Bia should not be linked to Brazilian beef at all, especially at a time when the Mercosur deal still threatens to flood our markets with cheap imports of dubious standards that will severely undercut Irish farmers and threaten their survival.
“When the organisations representing farmers cannot support the chair, the Minister’s decision to give full confidence sends a clear signal that farmer concerns are being sidelined,” he said.
The Minister has now taken full responsibility for this situation, McNamara maintained.
“By choosing to defend Larry Murrin, the Minister has made this issue his own [bed]. [The] ICSA believes this decision seriously undermines both farmer and consumer confidence in Bord Bia.
“It exposes the unfair reality that Irish farmers face hundreds of rules and restrictions, while others, including the man leading Bord Bia, operate under a completely different set of standards.
“This issue will not just go away. Minister Heydon must urgently reconsider his support for Larry Murrin’s position,” he said.
Read more
IFA and ICMSA seek resignation of Bord Bia chair
Larry Murrin to remain as Bord Bia chair
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