Noisy IFA protests against Bord Bia chairman ignore the bigger threats coming down the track
Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon appears to be giving the Irish Farmers’ Association a face-saving out. Photo: Getty
Normally, the focus of attention is on the other side of the road. The imposing US embassy is a landmark of Dublin 4. Designed in the 1950s, it has been a focal point of diplomatic activity since it opened in the 1960s, just after John F Kennedy was assassinated. Among the incidents it has witnessed was a vehicle in Barack Obama’s cavalcade getting stuck on the ramp exiting the car park.
But right across Pembroke Road in Ballsbridge, there’s even more drama going on as five farmers camp out inside the headquarters of Bord Bia. Farm groups, mainly the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), want Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin to step down after it emerged that his company, Dawn Farms, has been importing Brazilian beef. The farmers say this creates a conflict of interest for Murrin because Bord Bia’s role is to promote Irish food.