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Inside with the Bord Bia Five

February 28, 2026·1 hr 11 min·5 clips

Every farming organisation says they have no confidence in the Bord Bia chair, demanding he resign immediately.

It starts with a blunt demand. The chairperson of Bord Bia is under pressure after farming organisations say they have no confidence in him and want him out. The reply is all procedure. Others say Bord Bia has been performing well and that boards, legislation, and due process cannot just be brushed aside. Then the protest turns the argument into something harder to ignore. The IFA presence inside Bord Bia offices becomes a workplace standoff. Minister Martin Hayden is pulled in. He says occupying Bord Bia's place of work is unacceptable, while another voice keeps saying no rules have been broken. The mood is tense, but nobody sounds theatrical about it. The best section is the plain account of how the occupation unfolded across the afternoon and evening. About fifty came in. Then the doors closed, and roughly thirty were left inside because some protesters ended up on the wrong side. Outside life kept tugging at people. When staff said the building would be locked for the evening, half of those still inside left for families, farms, and ordinary obligations. Fifteen stayed the first night. Bord Bia staff watched them, Gardaí stood on a balcony, and security staff stayed in a packed reception area. Nobody got much sleep. The couch, the chairs, the watching each other: those details make the dispute feel real in a way slogans do not. By the end, guests argue the protest could lead to a stronger Bord Bia and stronger quality assurance, but they are also clear on the immediate aim. They plan to stay until Larry goes.

As heard by us

A close, inside look at a farm-sector standoff where procedure and pressure collide.

This episode lands on the Bord Bia dispute without much delay: a push for the chairperson's resignation, a board defending due process, and farmers saying trust has already gone.

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Why you'd press play

Hear the Bord Bia standoff from inside the occupied offices.

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