D'admhaigh cathaoirleach Bhord Bia go mbíonn a chomhlacht ag iompórtáil feola ón Bhrasaíl do mhargadh na hÉireann. Tá dualgas curtha ar fheirmeoirí cloí le caighdeáin timpeallachta, leasa agus rialacha atá ag dul in airde i gcónaí. Ag an am céanna, áfach, tá an cathaoirleach ar Bhord Bia, foras Stáit atá freagrach as bia, feoil agus feirmeoireacht na hÉireann a chur chun cinn, anois ceangailte le hiompórtáil feola ó earnáil nach mbíonn ag feidhmiú de réir na gcaighdeán céanna. Caithfidh an Rialtas an cathaoirleach a thógáil as a phost.
The chair of Bord Bia, the State agency charged with promoting Irish food, Irish beef and Irish farming is also the chief executive of Dawn Farm Foods, a company that has confirmed that it sources Brazilian beef for the Irish market. That fact alone should have set alarm bells ringing across government. Instead, we have seen evasion, minimisation and the circling of the wagons.
Bord Bia's credibility rests on public trust. It exists to champion Irish producers, Irish farmers and the reputation of Irish food at the highest international standards. How can that credibility possibly survive when its chair is simultaneously presiding over a company importing beef from Brazil, a sector repeatedly associated across Europe with food safety scares, traceability failures, animal welfare concerns and weak regulatory oversight? Brazilian beef has already had to be recalled from Irish supermarket shelves. It has been the subject of sustained and serious concern for years around growth hormones that are banned here, enforcement failures and standards that Irish farmers are rightly never allowed to fall below. Yet, at the very moment Irish farmers are being asked to meet even higher environmental and welfare and regulatory standards, the chair of Bord Bia is linked to imports from a sector that does not operate to those standards. This is not just poor optics. This is a fundamental conflict of interest, and it goes to the heart of public trust. The Government did not inherit this situation; the Government created this situation.
Mr. Murrin was appointed by Government to a position of public trust. This is not an internal board matter that can be parked, delayed or quietly discussed behind closed doors. It is a matter of ministerial responsibility and governance, and it comes at a time of deeply damaging wider context. Yesterday, in the European Parliament, Sinn Féin was key to securing a significant victory in referring the EU Mercosur deal to the European Court of Justice. Meanwhile, the Government’s own MEPs were working against that outcome. Against this backdrop, confidence in Bord Bia is essential. Yet, instead of recognising the seriousness of this issue, the Taoiseach chose yesterday to try to wave it away, accusing those who raised legitimate concerns in this House of dragging down a good organisation. Sinn Féín is not undermining Bord Bia; the Government is by defending the indefensible, by refusing to acknowledge an obvious conflict of interest and by sending a message that accountability stops at the door of powerful corporate figures. This is not about personalities. This is about protecting Irish farmers, consumer confidence and the integrity of Irish food promotion at home and abroad.
My question to the Tánaiste is simple and direct. Does he accept there is a fundamental conflict of interest in the chair of Bord Bia also being chief executive of a company importing Brazilian beef? If he does accept that, will the Government finally act and remove the chair from his position, or is it going to continue to defend a situation that is plainly untenable and expect farmers and the public to simply look the other way?
