Recent Bord Bia Protest Leaves Taxpayer With €220,000 Bill.

A recent farmers’ protest and staged sit-in at Bord Bia’s headquarters in Dublin has cost the taxpayer an estimated €220,000, according to records released under Freedom of Information.

The then issue was about Brazilian beef imports and Bord Bia leadership concerns which was pushed into the spotlight to became a major national debate.

The demonstration, organised by members of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), began as a rolling 24-hour protest before escalating into an “illegal sit-in,” causing major disruption to the agency’s operations.
At its peak, Bord Bia was spending over €30,000 per week dealing with the situation. Costs were driven by the need for additional security, legal services, alternative meeting arrangements, and media-related expenses.

Because Bord Bia does not have security on site, private firms had to be urgently hired due to concerns around staff safety and access to the building. Staff were instructed to work remotely, while meetings and client engagements were cancelled, postponed, or relocated.

Breakdown of Key Costs:

• €61,500 paid to Integrity Security, with a further €16,700 later.
• An estimated €56,000 allocated for Bidvest Group services.
• Over €9,000 in legal fees.
• Nearly €35,000 on advertising and media.
• Around €2,600 for external meeting rooms.
• €1,250 to facilitate a board meeting at another location.

Bord Bia stated that the situation escalated rapidly and posed a “material risk” to staff safety, requiring continuous monitoring and restricted access to the building.

Although not all invoices had been finalised, the agency confirmed total costs are expected to reach approximately €220,000 including VAT, once all accounts are settled.

Outcome of the Protest.
The protest ultimately led to an agreement to carry out an independent governance review of Bord Bia, which was the basis for ending the demonstration.
However, the farmers’ central demand, which was the removal of Chairperson Mr Larry Murrin, was not achieved, as he remained in his position with government backing.
As part of the compromise, the protest was stood down after several weeks while a review of Bord Bia’s governance was commissioned. The chairman agreed to step back from chairing board meetings during the review, but did not resign.