Caithfidh an Rialtas bata agus bóthar a thabhairt do Larry Murrin mar chathaoirleach ar Bhord Bia. Tá muinín na n-eagraíochtaí feirmeoireachta agus an phobail i gcoitinne caillte aige. Caithfidh sé imeacht. We are now nine days into a serious and escalating crisis of confidence in Bord Bia. It is a crisis entirely of the Government's own making. At the heart of it is a clear and undeniable conflict of interest. The chair of Bord Bia is head of a company that imports Brazilian beef that is produced to lower standards and is the subject of weaker safety requirements. At the same time, he is presiding over the State agency charged with promoting Irish beef, which is produced to the highest environmental, welfare and food safety standards. The contradiction goes to the core of Bord Bia's credibility, and farmers know it.

Yesterday, the Taoiseach's response to my party leader was confused, evasive and, frankly, all over the place. Instead of showing leadership, he appeared either unwilling or unable to grasp the clear powers the Government holds in relation to this appointment. Instead of addressing the substance of the issue, Ministers have resorted to dismissive language, talking about witch hunts and hikes and suggesting that farmers are somehow doing their own sector a disservice by speaking out. I met with the farmers protesting at Bord Bia headquarters yesterday. I spoke directly to them and to their representative organisations. All farming organisations are unequivocal: Larry Murrin's position is untenable, confidence has been lost and he has to go.

Matters deteriorated further this morning. In response to Deputy Martin Kenny, the agriculture Minister launched what I consider to be an unprecedented attack on the largest farming organisation in the country, the IFA, seeking to blame it for this crisis. That was, frankly, unbelievable and deeply irresponsible. It shows a Government lashing out rather than facing up to its own failures.

Bord Bia, we all acknowledge, plays a pivotal role in promoting Irish food on global markets, but that role is based on trust. Above all, what is required is the trust of our primary producers. Farmers are out in all weathers. They are meeting ever higher environmental, animal welfare and regulatory standards. They are doing what the State asks of them. Their confidence in Bord Bia is depended upon. Their confidence in Bord Bia has been broken.

Irish agriculture is already under immense pressure, facing new challenges all the time, including the emergence of bluetongue disease. Farmers do not need a self-inflicted crisis of governance at the very top of the agency that is supposed to support them. The Government appointed Larry Murrin. It has the power to act. My question is direct and plain: will it use its powers to restore confidence in Bord Bia and remove its chair?

We will not remove the chair. The Deputy has come for a head and he is not getting one. That is the position of the Government of Ireland. This is a Government that follows due process. This is a Government that does not decide that protest removes people from office. This is a Government that listens and engages. We believe that if a person puts up their hand for public service, which is what serving on a commercial semi-State board is, and makes a positive contribution, then they have the support of the Government.

The Sinn Féin position on this has not involved looking for explanations or facts. Its deputy leader is not here today, but he was here last week. Before the board meeting had even taken place, Sinn Féin wanted the chair of Bord Bia gone. It did not even want the meeting to take place. The position was "Go. Off with his head" before there was any chance to engage at all.

I said to Deputy Doherty then what I say to Deputy Carthy now. Conflicts of interest and perceived conflicts of interest are always important to raise in any corporate governance structure - 100% - but it is also important that processes are followed and that people are given an opportunity to discuss information. I will get to that in a moment. I believe there is information and complexity here that are deliberately being overlooked - possibly even suppressed - in Sinn Féin's presentation of this situation.

Mr. Murrin appeared before the board last week. That was the right thing to do. He is the chair of the board. He answered all the questions board members had and had the support of the overwhelming majority of the board of Bord Bia. I understand that he is happy to appear before the Oireachtas agriculture committee, and he should do so. Again, that is an important process. The committee is the right place for the people's representatives, including those from the Deputy's party, to have the opportunity to probe, ask questions, discuss and see, beyond social media posts and gut instinct, whether there is an issue here or whether the chairman actually has a robust and credible explanation. The Oireachtas agriculture committee either has invited or is about to invite the chair to attend a meeting. I know he is willing to attend. A date is being arranged. I hope that meeting can take place next week. It would be helpful for everybody to have a proper, thorough examination.

I agree with the Deputy that there are more important issues we should be discussing on the floor of the Dáil today, including bluetongue, which deserves more than a passing reference, the Common Agricultural Policy and the fact that significant parts of the country are under water. Let the agriculture committee do its job, rather than having a rinse and repeat of the same question I was asked last week. The Government's position has not changed.

I also want to say that Bord Bia and its chairman, Mr. Murrin, have presided over massive growth in Irish exports. Does that count for anything in Sinn Féin's book? We have not seen the full figures for 2025 yet, but I will be surprised if the value of Irish food exports does not exceed €20 billion. That is a remarkable achievement and would be a new record for our largest and oldest indigenous industry.

There is complexity involved in any trade deal. The Deputy is around here long enough to know that in 2008, when we had the pork dioxin problem, there was a global recall of Irish pork and contingency plans were needed. In any major global deal, contingency plans are needed. To win major global deals that benefit the Irish economy, Irish workers and Irish taxpayers, we have to have a contingency plan. If Sinn Féin's position is that a food company cannot have a contingency plan in place, then that company cannot compete. If Sinn Féin's position is that if a person is running a food company that has a contingency plan in place in case anything goes wrong with Irish produce and there is a recall, that person cannot be on the board of a semi-State, then I believe our commercial semi-States would be the worse for that. I hope it emerges at the committee that Irish farmers have benefited significantly from the deal this company, Dawn Farm Foods, has in place.

The position of the Government is clear. We look forward to an opportunity for the agriculture committee to pursue this. I would also ask the IFA and ICMSA to take up the offer of meeting with the chair of the board. Every country chair in the IFA is welcome to meet, together or on their own, with the chair of Bord Bia. It is very disappointing that the IFA has not taken up that offer.

The Tánaiste talks about the success of Bord Bia-----

Yes.

-----but it appears that he is oblivious to what that success is built on. It is built on the work of our farmers. It is not Larry Murrin or Bord Bia that are out in this weather milking cows. It is not Larry Murrin or Bord Bia dealing with cows calving in the middle of the night.

Wow. We do not need Bord Bia. Get rid of Bord Bia.

It is not Larry Murrin or Bord Bia that is delivering the highest standards met by farmers anywhere in the world. It is our primary producers, who are doing so. They - not just me or some backbenchers in the Government parties-----

Not in mine.

-----are telling the Tánaiste that confidence has been lost in the chair of Bord Bia. The Government is trying to be evasive and to look for different ways out of this situation. The ultimate truth is this: the chair of the State agency charged with promoting Irish produce across the world is also head of a company that is importing beef from Brazil.

Soundbites.

That is untenable. There is a clear conflict of interest.

That is not right.

Stop trying to dodge. Stop trying to protect your man in Bord Bia. Instead, protect Irish family farmers by removing the chair of Bord Bia and restoring trust in that organisation.

Usually when you deliver your response, it should be in some way linked to what I just said. You have accused me of being evasive. Here it is, really clear: I support the chair of Bord Bia. I think the chair of Bord Bia should continue. I think he should go in front of the agriculture committee. I do not accept Deputy Carthy's smears. I do not agree with his position. That is my position. How is that evasive? It is pretty clear to me. That is a pretty clear position to have.

It is an unacceptable position.

Instead of the prepared lines that he has been working on in front of the mirror this morning, maybe the Deputy should listen to what the Government is saying. We are very clear in relation to our position on this.

There is significant value. I do not like the way the Deputy just dismissed the work of those in Bord Bia because they are not out in the rain. Bord Bia is doing incredible work across the world at a time of extraordinary global-----

On the back of our farmers. Do you not accept that?

The Deputy just dismissed them.

You have to accept that it is our primary producers who are doing the hard work.

Order, please.

Bord Bia is doing incredible work promoting our farmers' goods right across the world. I am so proud of the work of our farmers and of Irish produce.

And the financial malaise being experienced by our farmers.

Do not come into this House and attack the Minister for agriculture, who has achieved more-----

He is the one who attacked the farming organisations.

-----for Irish farmers than Deputy Carthy will ever achieve-----

He attacked our farming organisations.

-----whether it was nitrates-----

Order, please.

-----whether it was Mercosur, whether it is TB or whether it is work on bluetongue. Let us be honest-----

The IFA is not at one on Brazilian beef.

-----when it comes to Sinn Féin, this is not about food on the table; it is about a head on a plate.