2026-03-19

88. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the length of time that the Government and his Department are allowing for the review to be completed into governance at Bord Bia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19098/26]

It is important that the review to which the question relates be expedited fairly quickly.

The board of Bord Bia met on 2 March to discuss proposals to resolve the situation whereby Bord Bia’s offices were being occupied by protestors. Following that meeting the board issued an agreed statement. This statement noted that the terms of reference of an independent governance review which I had proposed were agreed by the board, and that the protest inside and outside the offices would be stood down. As agreed, my Department is now commissioning an independent review of Bord Bia’s governance framework. The review will specifically consider: the role of the board including the chair; composition, including eligibility, of the board, including the chair; the board’s terms of reference, including clarity in relation to corporate governance framework and implementation; the procedures for and management of conflicts of interest, including consideration of what constitutes a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict of interest as set out in the code of practice for the governance of State bodies; and specific governance related questions that have been raised during the current period. The consultants will engage directly with the board members and executive - the CEO and the secretary to the board - to seek their perspectives, especially in relation to governance issues that have arisen in the current period. My Department is currently engaged in a procurement process for this review, with a view to completion by the end of April. Bord Bia is also progressing a new farmers forum which I had asked it to establish on foot of a five-hour meeting I had with the six farm organisations and key stakeholders on 13 February to try to bring a resolution to this. The farmers' forum is a vehicle for us to have farmers’ input into every part. Part of the recommendation from Macra na Feirme was that the outworkings of the farmers’ forum will be a standing item at every board meeting of Bord Bia and each of the six farming organisations will get to have input into that which is a key role. It provides another option for renewed engagement between farmers and Bord Bia.

I am trying to figure out the length of time it will take. The Minister said that it will start with procurement and that the review will begin by the end of April, is that correct?

The end of April.

It will begin by the end of April.

It will be finished by the end of April.

That is better again. That is good news. It is obviously a concern because it is fair to say there is a confidence issue there. There has been a big breakdown in relations and that needs to be addressed. Bord Bia is central as a body to promote the quality of Irish food and quality is the key word here. In any outcome, we cannot have a food safety and promotion body that promotes the high standard of food produced here because of high regulations and standards and have someone at its head who is importing produce that is produced at a lower standard. Quality is key not only for farmers but for shoppers and consumers as well. Something that might be looked at is a more rigorous vetting regime for the heads of State boards.

Deputy Martin Kenny has a supplementary.

I support Deputy Stanley on this issue. It is obviously something that has taken up a huge amount of time and energy for everyone involved. It is positive we are at a stage where there is at least the bones of a resolution in place. The key issue is that people who are involved in State boards have a responsibility to adhere to the codes of conduct or practice that are in place. The review of all this will be short, hopefully. I welcome the Minister saying it would be concluded at the end of April. That would be ambitious. Farmers need reassurance that they will get additional and robust representation on any new board that is proposed, because that is one of the big issues. Without farmers, there would be no Bord Bia and no food to market anywhere. They see themselves as being very small players in all of this, however. Anything that can be done to ensure that farmers have a greater role to play would be very positive.

The reason we are talking about the end of April – which is both a very tight timeline and ambitious – is because it is something I want to bring to a conclusion. There needs to be a lot of honesty in the debate. I agree with Deputy Kenny that we need to reflect on everyone’s fiduciary duties when they sign up to a State board. A great deal of responsibility comes with that, and that applies to every member of a board, not just the chairperson. On the points about farmer representation and the farmer point of view, that will be enhanced by the establishment of the farmers' forum that I proposed at the five-hour stakeholder meeting on 13 February. The farmers' forum will provide a structured forum for two-way feedback because it is just as important that Bord Bia can feed back to farmers. It will also explain the market requirements, why quality assurance processes require certain amounts of information, how that is monetised and how it allows us to have premiumisation of their produce in the end. That is a really important part of this. We will all be strengthened from that greater collaboration.

The Minister said that the end of April is the completion date, and that is very welcome. Normally when we hear about reviews, they to go on forever and a day. As a result, I welcome the fact that there is a bit of urgency about this. Farmers' participation will be central to it. We have to learn from the fiasco that we have had over the last few months. We all need to look at what happened there and try to move forward in a more positive way.

That is it exactly. We want to move on, but we want to ensure that as we do so, there is a clear understanding of the highly integrated nature of food trade globally. We export 90% of our food and drink. It is really important that our farmers clearly understand that. The whole tenor of the debate over the five-week period focused on the 10% consumed in Ireland, understandably, because it is very important market in terms of sentiment and for Irish consumers as well. However, we cannot lose sight of the fact that Bord Bia is an international food board that provides marketing and opportunities for Irish food companies to get the best possible return. That, in turn, gives the best possible return to our farmers and it has been very successful. Coupled with our ten-year strategies in the Department, we have seen the value of Irish food exports grow from €10 billion back in 2011 to €20.8 billion last year and there has been a commensurate rise in farmers' incomes. We want to be very careful, in addressing all of these issues and concerns, that we do not undermine the very structure that is delivering real value back to our farmers.

That concludes questions to the Minister for agriculture. We will now move on to Leader's Questions. Before I call Deputy Doherty, I want to welcome a group of history students and their teachers to the Public Gallery. They are guests of Deputy Timmins and are very welcome. I hope they enjoy their day in Dáil Éireann.