Sinn Féin is proposing this motion because the Minister has allowed this scandal to fester and because Fine Gael in particular has circled the wagons to protect their man instead of standing up for farmers. Larry Murrin should have resigned weeks ago. He has not. Instead he has dug in with the blessing of the Government, with the blessing of the Minister, and with the blessing of the Tánaiste, Simon Harris, and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. He seems intent to brazen it out. It is two fingers to farmers, to the public, and to anyone who believes public bodies should operate with integrity. An Bord Bia demands the highest standards from Irish farmers. It inspects them, audits them, penalises them and markets their products on the basis of stringent quality checks and traceability. Yet, the chairman of that organisation imports Brazilian beef produced to standards that would be illegal here. There is no ambiguity in that. We all get the message. Farmers hear us clearly and so does the public. Farmers are angry because they are being undermined. The public is livid because we are being treated with contempt. The chairman of Bord Bia importing Brazilian beef while holding Irish farmers to the highest standards is a brazen double standard. When we put that in the context of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Independents preparing to open the door to beef produced with hormones and banned antibiotics and linked to deforestation, the hypocrisy is obvious and farmers can see it clearly. They can smell the bull. This controversy sits squarely in the context of Mercosur and the Government's double standard on trade, food safety, the environment and rural livelihoods. Fine Gael is at the centre of this. They are shielding one of their own and hoping this will blow over. Fianna Fáil and the Lowry and Healy-Rae Independents are content to stay quiet and let Fine Gael give two fingers to farmers and to rural Ireland. They say one thing at home and do another in Europe. Trust has been destroyed because people can see the hypocrisy so clearly. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, has the power to end this today. He can restore confidence in Bord Bia or he can continue to protect the indefensible. Larry Murrin's position is now untenable and if this Government votes against this motion next week farmers will hear that message again loud and clear. We in Sinn Féin stand with Irish farmers. Larry Murrin must go and the Government must quit the charade and get serious about opposing Mercosur.
Sentiment score: 0.08
It is about accountability.
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That is a startling admission, Minister.
Sentiment score: 0.08
We know the price of a Minister of State now.
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Come off it.
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The Minister is misleading-----
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Will the Minister join the sit-in protest?
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Will the Minister join the sit-in protest?
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Minister for bluster.
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There was plenty of time in Government business today.
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