'Larry Murrin provides no answers to farmers and must resign' - Martin Kenny, Sligo/Leitrim TD

Sligo/Leitrim TD Martin Kenny, has once again called for Larry Murrin to resign as chair for Bord Bia after Mr Murrin appeared at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture on Thursday. 

Mr Murrin questioned how allegations of “double standards” could be applied to his company sourcing Brazilian beef when farmers import feed for their animals from South America.

Mr Murrin has rejected repeated demands to step down from his role at the state agency, which is charged with promoting and enforcing standards on Irish food, including beef.

He said: “I’m not a champion for Brazil and I want to make that perfectly clear today, but Brazil is the largest exporter of beef in the world today and our global customers look at commodity markets globally, and I have to be able to demonstrate as part of our supply-chain security arrangements that this country can access those raw materials if it needs to.”

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Deputy Kenny said: "It was important that the agriculture committee got an opportunity to ask questions of Larry Murrin - unfortunately Mr Murrin was evasive in his answers and claimed business confidentiality as a reason for not answering questions. He spent most of his time talking around the issues rather than answering questions, clearly more interested in running down the clock - showing shameless contempt for Irish farmers and consumers. I put it to Mr Murrin that there is a clear conflict of interest between him importing Brazilian beef through his private company and then promoting Irish beef internationally. This is a red line for Irish farmers and Irish consumers. 

He continued: "Incredibly, the chairman believes that there is no conflict of interest in what he is doing and disagrees that his position is untenable. “Mr Murrin said he believes that he can guarantee quality and standards of beef and poultry imported from Brazil, using an utterly ridiculous analogy that his company was like a BMW factory manufacturing high quality engines.
I informed him that I do not believe that BMW would use substandard parts like he is by using substandard Brazilian beef in food production. Larry Murrin failed to provide any answers or explanation today that resolves this situation. 

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Deputy Kenny concluded: "He has not provided any assurances or restored confidence to Irish farmers for him to remain in his position. The fact is there can be no double standards and Larry Murrin must go.”