The chairman of Bord Bia has been accused of “making a mockery” of the food promotion organisation after it emerged that a restaurant he part-owns has chicken imported from Poland and the Netherlands on its menu.
In a review of Sole Seafood & Grill , which is part of the EHL group that is owned by Padraic O’Kane and Bord Bia chairman Larry Murrin , Irish Times restaurant critic Corinna Hardgrave noted that the Cajun chicken was sourced in Poland, while the chicken supreme (€35 on the a la carte) was made with poultry from the Netherlands.
Moreover, neither dish used free-range chicken.
In response, the chairman of the poultry section of the Irish Farmers’ Association ( IFA ), Brendan Soden, said the sourcing policy of the Dublin restaurant was “making a mockery of Bord Bia and their Quality Assurance Schemes”.
He said while Murrin was “of course entitled to run his restaurants as he sees fit”, importing chicken from overseas should exclude him from “putting himself forward to be chair of the Irish Food Board”.
Soden said: “Having Larry Murrin in the role is not just burning trust between Bord Bia and farmers; it’s now undermining the trust of consumers”. He suggested the “fact that the Government continues to back him is baffling”.
Earlier this year, Murrin, who is also the chief executive and founder of the Dawn Farms food group, came under fire as a result of his company’s importation of beef from Brazil.
The IFA and others, including Sinn Féin, called for him to step down as Bord Bia chairman while a group of farmers occupied the food board’s lobby for four weeks in protest.
[ Bord Bia review finds chairman gives ‘clear leadership’ in wake of Brazil beef protests Opens in new window ]
[ Sole Seafood & Grill review: I’m in shock – €35 for chicken supreme using non-free-range Dutch chicken Opens in new window ]
Appearing before the Oireachtas agriculture committee while the protest was ongoing, Murrin rejected calls for his resignation and denied that a limited use of Brazilian beef at Dawn Farms represented a conflict of interest with his role as Bord Bia chairman.
When contacted about the imported chicken on the Sole menu, a spokeswoman for Bord Bia said it “does not comment on the private business interests of individual board members, including the chair”.
The Irish Times also approached Murrin, through Dawn Farms, for a comment. It said it had no comment to make on the matter.