Larry Murrin, chief executive of Dawn Farm Foods, has been elected president of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), the national voice of business in Ireland. He is the first person from the Irish food industry to hold the position.

Murrin: "One of the silver linings of recent tough times is that the food sector has emerged from the shadows and is at last being recognised for the contribution it makes to our economy.

Murrin: "One of the silver linings of recent tough times is that the food sector has emerged from the shadows and is at last being recognised for the contribution it makes to our economy."

Dawn Farms, which also wholly owns the Northampton-based cooked ingredients company TMI Foods, is a leading fully cooked and fermented meat ingredient companies in Europe serving the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors.

Larry is a former chairman of IBEC's Food and Drink Industry Ireland, and has been a member of Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, since its inception. At his inaugural address as IBEC president, he called on the government to continue to ensure a positive policy environment for the growth of the food sector.

Speaking at the annual President's dinner in Dublin, attended by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Larry said: "One of the silver linings of recent tough times is that the food sector has emerged from the shadows and is at last being recognised for the contribution it makes to our economy. While conscious of my role as representing all of Irish business, one of my goals in office will be to push for continued investment by the state to ensure a positive policy environment to allow my 'home' sector reach its full potential.”

As the national voice of business in Ireland, IBEC represents the interests of business throughout the republic, providing a wide range of direct services to its 7,500 member companies.

This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.