Bord Bia: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-04
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

-----how much of that contract do they think would involve Irish produce? It is very little, I can guarantee.
The Bord Bia board met on Thursday, 22 January to discuss the issues raised and the recent media coverage. I sought and received a detailed report from Bord Bia following that meeting. It is worth repeating that the members strongly endorsed the integrity of the chairman, the transparency of his business and his invaluable experience that has benefited Bord Bia and the wider Irish food industry. There was acknowledgement that there were no legal or governance issues at play. The board had good and thorough discussion of the issues covered in the media and the majority of board members were fully supportive of the chair continuing to serve. The chairman has offered to meet the IFA and its full national council, and all of its county and commodity chairs. I know there are many here. He offered to provide a detailed briefing in relation to the company’s approach to sourcing. To date, this offer has not been taken up. Just over three weeks ago, the Ministers of State, Deputies Grealish, Healy-Rae and Dooley and I addressed the IFA national council in Bluebell for over three hours at its AGM.
A lot of different viewpoints were expressed. We listened and responded and while we might not have agreed on everything, I think we all left with a better understanding of each other’s perspectives at the end.
This current impasse does not serve farmers’ interests well. I again urge the IFA leadership to consider this offer from the chairman of Bord Bia because denying IFA council members that same briefing is doing them a disservice too. In the meantime, the chairman has accepted an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food tomorrow, Thursday, 5 February. That will be an opportunity to hear the detail of the matter. Given its negligent or deliberate refusal to seek a full briefing on the issue before now, it is not a coincidence that Sinn Féin is attempting to suppress that process with a motion before the House here tonight, creating-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:35+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-04