ICSA president Sean McNamara has said Minister Heydon has made a serious mistake by giving his full backing to Bord Bia chair Larry Murrin and dismissing legitimate farmer concerns as 'emotion'. "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.

Continuing Mr McNamara said, "The Minister'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 said attempts to downplay the issue by focusing on the volume of Brazilian beef involved were completely disingenuous. "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."

Concluding, Mr McNamara said the Minister has now taken full responsibility for this situation. "By choosing to defend Larry Murrin the Minister has made this issue his own. 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."