If the Minister wants to understand the crisis, he does not need to go far. He can go upstairs and talk to them up there. He can go and meet the farmers who have protested every day outside Bord Bia's office, and listen to them. They will tell the Minister in clear terms that their confidence in Bord Bia and the Government is shattered. The controversy surrounding Larry Murrin and Bord Bia is not an isolated incident. It is the latest. The issue should never have reached this point. It is clear that when it comes to standing up for farmers and rural communities, the Government has to be dragged to do the right thing, just as it was finally dragged to oppose the Mercosur trade deal. It is an utter disgrace. The Government has attempted to lump the blame for all of this onto the IFA and the farmers across Ireland - “emotional nonsense”, as Larry Murrin called it. It is a disgrace. Many of these farmers gave decades of support to the Minister and his colleagues, but that support is clearly not returned. Instead of accountability, the Minister has dug in his heels to defend Larry Murrin as chair of Bord Bia. The Minister's failure to see the blatant conflict of interest is staggering. Perhaps the Minister does see it and he is simply standing by one of his own through thick and thin. The hypocrisy is not lost on our farmers. Irish beef is the world's gold standard. Over 77,000 farmers work relentlessly to pass the rigorous Bord Bia inspections. I would love to see those inspectors visit Brazilian farms or even the mega slaughterhouses in Brazil that are co-owned by Dawn Meats. Would they pass or is that just another case of "Do as I say not as I do" for Irish family farms? There is clear cross-party support for this action. Even members of the coalition in Fianna Fáil have called for Mr. Murrin to step down. Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on agriculture has stated that Mr. Murrin's position is untenable. He has lost the trust and confidence of the Irish farming community and as a result he must go. I welcome this cross-party support. Now I urge those Fianna Fáil TDs to follow through on their words, stand with the farmers they represent, and support our motion for the Minister to finally use his powers and remove Larry Murrin from Bord Bia. It is time to restore trust. It is time to stand with Irish farmers.

Sentiment score: 0.10

I do know what it is like to be up at 3 o'clock in the morning with calving.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I do know what it is like to be subject to Bord Bia reports. I do.

Sentiment score: 0.18

We are not all-----

Sentiment score: 0.00

I do know what it is like.

Sentiment score: 0.36

That was a great performance. I thank the Minister of State.

Sentiment score: 0.49