Wicklow councillors join call for Bord Bia chair to resign – ‘He’s going to have to pay the price’
The Wicklow PeopleThe elected members of Wicklow County Council have formally called for the resignation of Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin, with an amended emergency motion tabled by Fine Gael members voted on at the monthly meeting on Monday.
Mr Murrin has been steeped in controversy in recent weeks stemming from revelations that his company, Dawn Farms, has been importing beef from Brazil.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) argue that his position as chair of Bord Bia—the state agency responsible for promoting Irish food—is untenable while his company imports non-Irish beef.
An emergency motion was brought forward to the February monthly meeting of the local authority by the council’s Fine Gael chair Melanie Corrigan, and seconded and supported by her party colleagues Shane Langrell and Sylvester Bourke.
Independent councillor Joe Behan expressed his support for the motion, which calls on the Agriculture Minister and all stakeholders involved to engage in dialogue to resolve the issues relating to Bord Bia as a matter of urgency.
He called for the motion to be amended calling for the immediate resignation of Mr Murrin.
“That is the demand of the IFA. They're right to make that demand as far as I am concerned. I have listened and read to what they have said. This is hypocrisy that the person who oversees food safety, Bord Bia promoting safe Irish food to this country and abroad has admitted he's importing Brazilian beef as part of his operation.
“He's still sitting there as chair of Bord Bia. The Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil ministers seem to be backing him. Fair play to the Fine Gael members in this chamber, they have shown courage.”
Cllr Langrell said it was important to listen to what the farmers are saying.
“It is totally not acceptable what has happened. When you have Brazilian beef coming into this country there's no traceability like what we get from the Irish farm.”
Cllr Bourke, who is himself a farmer, said the optics of it are “shockingly bad” from a food producing point of view.
“The objective of Bord Bia is to promote Irish food and to have the chairperson of it wilfully importing Brazilian beef at the time when markets are so topical is just not on. And I don't think the farmers would have confidence in Bord Bia in the future unless this issue is resolved. So, I support Cllr Behan's amendment.”
Cllr Gerry O’Neill, an independent, also expressed his support for the move.
“It's crazy that Larry Murrin, could be chairman of Bord Bia and director of his own business. It's double standards to the highest degree. I am delighted to hear Fine Gael supporting this because the Government are very supportive of Larry Murrin.
“So, I wish you all the best of luck that you might get the better of your own Government there.”
Cllr Peter Stapleton, a Fine Gael member, was one of the few elected members not to support the call for Mr Murrin’s resignation.
“I don't think that, necessarily, if we just call for a head, and he falls on his sword, and we get someone else to replace him, that you have fundamentally restored the trust in Bord Bia. I think there's been widespread acknowledgment that Larry Murrin is a capable person and has done good for Bord Bia.
“I would be hoping there is a way around it, where perhaps there is an admission that what he did wasn't right. It wasn't right to stand over a chair of a board that is responsible for quality assurance, nailing your colour to the mast and saying we should accept nothing less than then the EU standards, while at the same time importing beef which is most likely of a lower standard.”
However, Labour party councillor Paul O’Brien believes Mr Murrin needs to be held accountable for his actions.
“I wholeheartedly support this motion and Cllr Behan's amendment to it because there must be consequences to your action. If I went to start advocating for example for Educate Together, I would have to stand up and say I got it wrong and fall on my sword. There must be consequences to people's action. At that level people should know better.
“Larry Murrin should know better. And unfortunately, whether he's a nice man who has done a good job in the past he has made a huge error in judgment. He's going to have to pay the price.”
The amended motion, adding the call for Mr Murrin’s resignation, was carried with 20 elected members voting for, six abstaining and five not present. Two abstaining councillors were from Fine Gael, two were from the Green Party and two were independents. Four were elected to urban districts of Bray and Greystones.
Wicklow County Council will now write to the Agriculture Minister to signal the councillor’s wishes.
The IFA has staged sit-in protests at Bord Bia's headquarters in Dublin and called for Mr Murrin's immediate resignation.
Wicklow farmers have been active in the ongoing protests against Mr Murrin, with local representatives highlighting the pressure on the county's agri-sector.
Mr Murrin recently appeared before the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, where he denied any conflict of interest, stating he remains "fully committed" to his role.
The Irish Government, including the Taoiseach and Agriculture Minister, has expressed "full confidence" in Mr Murrin, despite opposition calls for his removal.
Councillors in neighbouring Wexford have also formally backed calls for his resignation.