Members of the IFA mounting a protest inside Bord Bia’s headquarters have denied claims that they are intimidating staff.
Just over a dozen Irish Farmers’ Association members have organised a sit down inside the organisation’s Dublin headquarters, calling for the removal of Chair Larry Murphy.
Controversy erupted after it emerged that Mr Murphy’s company had imported Brazilian beef products.
The revelation touched a particularly raw nerve among farmers, who fear a flood of cheap South American meat if the EU’s trade deal with the Mercosur bloc is ratified.
Bord Bia has described the protest inside their building as “unacceptable” and “very intimidating” for staff.
However, on The Claire Byrne Show, farmer TJ Maher described the protest as “necessary” and that all interactions with staff had been “friendly”.
“In fact, there's been great conversation, interaction with people here through the night, both the guards, security officers, the secretarial staff and the managers on site,” he said.
“Everybody is working as normal in Bord Bia.”
Mr Maher added that “nobody has been intimidated in this building at any stage”.
“Everybody is working freely in here,” he insisted.
“I would also say to you this; this is a building which farmers contribute over $6 million annually - and the doors are always open here.”
Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) members protest outside Bord Bia headquarters in Dublin. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.Also on the programme, TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Peter 'Chap' Cleere said he “understands the frustrations” of farmers.
“One of the right course of challenges we have, appropriate challenges, is tomorrow at the Agricultural Committee, whereby we have the chair of the board,” he said.
“I support the right of anybody to protest.”
The Fianna Fáil backbencher declined to condemn the protestors and said he wanted to see “dialogue between all parties”.
“But I suppose the reason that the farmers who are protesting have gone to where they're at is, put simply, because they're absolutely frustrated because they feel like their voices aren't being heard,” he said.
“And I suppose they want to see a resolution to this and I want to see a resolution to this as a rural TD, as a champion of farmers.
“I want to see a resolution to this.”
Main image: IFA protest oustide Bord Bia. Picture by: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie
