Wexford council tables motion of no confidence in Bord Bia chief following dramatic vote in County Hall
Wexford PeopleWexford County Council (WCC) has submitted a motion of no confidence in Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin following a dramatic vote at its February meeting in County Hall.
Although not on the initial agenda, a decision to discuss Mr Murrin’s tenure was taken after it emerged, halfway through the meeting, that members of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) were in the building and requesting an audience with councillors.
Following a brief interval, in which councillors liaised with the IFA members, two motions were tabled at the meeting, one calling for Mr Murrin’s head, the other defending his position.
Councillor Jim Codd led the calls for the Bord Bia boss’s resignation, arguing that his role had become untenable following news that Dawn Farms, Mr Murrin’s company, had imported beef from Brazil. As a result of this revelation and given Bord Bia’s duty to promote Irish food, members of the IFA have called upon Mr Murrin to step down from his position with immediate effect.
And Cllr Codd’s motion asked that Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon TD intervene to resolve the situation once and for all.
“I call upon WCC to ask the agriculture minister to intervene in the Bord Bia dispute and ask for its chairman’s resignation,” read the motion. “This is an intolerable situation and I would ask that my fellow councillors support me on it.”
The motion was seconded by Cllr Michael Sheehan with one slight amendment.
"We should direct the agriculture minister, not ask him,” he said.
Further support came from Cllr Pat Barden who said he understood the “rigours farmers have to go through to produce a good product” and called it an “absolute disgrace” that the head of Bord Bia was importing beef from Brazil while “getting the full backing of the government”.
With the agriculture minister having been asked and then directed to intervene, Cllr Aoife Rose O’Brien upped the ante even further.
“If Bord Bia ever want to have the confidence of Irish farmers again Mur Murrin must resign,” she said. “It’s unacceptable for him to continue in his post. If he doesn’t resign I would ask the agriculture minister to enforce his resignation.”
As the wife of a farmer and someone who has tangled with the “rigorous paperwork” issued by Bord Bia, Cllr Vicky Barron said she was “absolutely disgusted” by Mr Murrin’s activities; a view shared by Cllr Marty Murphy who operates a working farm himself.
“I know all the hoops we have to jump through, we do so because we understand the benefits it has for our food,” he said. “Mr Murrin’s position is clearly untenable, he has a conflict of interest.”
However, not everyone in the chamber wanted to see Mr Murrin depart his role.
Cllr Pip Breen submitted a countermotion in which he called on “the Taoiseach, the agriculture minister, Bord Bia, the IFA, and all relevant organisations to meet immediately and resolve this ongoing dispute”.
“We have always imported a small amount of beef from South America,” continued Cllr Breen. “As a farmer I fully understand the repercussions of his potential resignation and it would be very detrimental to the county.”
That motion was seconded by Cllr Donal Kenny before Cllr Pat Kehoe said the only way this issue could be truly resolved was through “dialogue, people sitting round a table and finding a workable solution”.
Lastly, Cllr Bridín Murphy asked that, regardless of who was at the helm of Bord Bia, the “administrative burden” on farmers be reduced.
“They’re dealing with a lot of paperwork and the pressures involved in that and have to hire extra people just to deal with this,” she said. “We need a conversation around reform, we need to improve inspections, reduce administrative burden on farmers, and rebuild trust – farmers will always adhere to standards, but they need everyone to stand with them and that’s not happening at the moment.”
Because neither motion had been in the original schedule of the meeting, a show of hands was required to determine whether each could be voted on in the chamber; with a majority (18) required to have them heard. While Cllr Codd’s motion met that target, Cllr Breen’s did not.
As a result, the motion calling upon WCC to “ask the agriculture minister to intervene in the Bord Bia dispute and ask for its chairman’s resignation” was put to a vote. And, in a deviation from the norm, many councillors opted to vote against party lines.
Voting in favour were Pat Barden (Wexford Independent Alliance), Vicky Barron (LAB), Nicky Boland (WIA), Trish Byrne (FG), Jim Codd (Aontú), Craig Doyle (SF), John Dwyer (IND), Mary Farrell (IND), Tom Forde (SF), Pat Kehoe (FG), Bridín Murphy (FG), Marty Murphy (WIA), Aoife Rose O’Brien (SF), John O’Rourke (IND), Jackser Owens (IND), Raymond Shannon (WIA), Michael Sheehan (IND), Frank Staples (FG), Robbie Staples (FG), Joe Sullivan (FF), and Biddy Walsh (LAB).
Voting against were Pip Breen (FF), Anthony Donohue (FG), Lisa McDonald (FF), and Oliver Walsh (FG).
Aidan Browne, John Fleming, Donal Kenny, Garry Laffan, and Barbara Anne Murphy (al FF) chose to abstain.
With 21 in favour, four against, and five abstentions, the motion was carried, much to the joy of the IFA members who had gathered in the gallery.