I want to welcome the farmers who are here today. I thank all the farmers who raised their concerns with my office. The fact is that farmers are hurt by the fact that they are subjected to strict regulations and rules by Bord Bia and are paying it €6 million a year. The latter is in addition to the taxpayers' money that is going into Bord Bia. They then learn that the person driving the ship of an organisation that is driving regulation, that is continually pushing standards and that is contributing to the inflation of standards in the food sector is the importing beef that would never qualify under those regulations. That is why the board and the chair have lost the confidence of farmers. Frankly, farmers are frustrated by the Minister's response to this. There are serious questions about food labelling, particularly that relating to beef, poultry, pigs and fish, in this country. We must address those questions and ensure that the country of origin is inserted on the packaging of all food sold here. Who chaired the meeting of the board on 22 June? Was it the case that the person who is the chair, that is, Larry Murrin, chaired a meeting on whether he would continue in his role?

Sentiment score: 0.03

Did he step out of the meeting, given what was obviously a conflict of interest? That must be addressed here.

Sentiment score: 0.09

We need a full investigation into how many tonnes of Brazilian beef are coming in. I do not believe that Larry Murrin is the only individual or business bringing Brazilian beef into this country. We need to have a serious investigation into this matter, not just in the beef sector but right across the board in respect of the food that is coming into Ireland and Europe. What is being imported would never satisfy the regulations policed by Bord Bia or allowed under the organisation's quality assurance schemes. Farmers and consumers across Ireland are extremely frustrated by the double standards at play. If the Minister cannot see that, I ask him to wake up.

Sentiment score: 0.05