It’s another eventful week in IFA. The executive council met on Tuesday in Dublin with a full agenda: in the morning, routine farmer business. After the lunch break: receive the Con Lucey report, hear previous calls for more resignations and consider how to find a new president. They did well to break up just before midnight. And they did so having also put a new interim president in place, Jer Bergin. Former economist Con Lucey read out his 44-page report. It provided more gory details – of payments to past presidents and the former general secretary. More importantly, the meeting heard Lucey’s recommendations for reforming the IFA and returning it to greater farmer control. There was consensus that it was a good report which should now go for consideration by county executives.
It’s another eventful week in IFA. The executive council met on Tuesday in Dublin with a full agenda: in the morning, routine farmer business. After the lunch break: receive the Con Lucey report, hear previous calls for more resignations and consider how to find a new president. They did well to break up just before midnight. And they did so having also put a new interim president in place, Jer Bergin.
Former economist Con Lucey read out his 44-page report. It provided more gory details – of payments to past presidents and the former general secretary. More importantly, the meeting heard Lucey’s recommendations for reforming the IFA and returning it to greater farmer control. There was consensus that it was a good report which should now go for consideration by county executives.
Resignations
Motions put forward last month calling for further resignations were then heard. Separate motions of no confidence in the executive board and in the deputy president Tim O’Leary and treasurer Jer Bergin were defeated in secret ballots.
Then came the issue of how and when to hold an election for new president. Tim O’Leary announced that because he was a candidate in that election he was stepping down from his role as acting president and returning to his role as deputy.
The council discussed who would lead the organisation until the next election. Jer Bergin and and IFA liquid milk chair Teddy Cashman were both proposed.
Cashman withdrew and the council voted unanimously to appoint Jer Bergin as IFA’s national chairperson and official spokesman, to rule until a new president is elected.
No decision was taken on when the next presidential election will take place.
Read more
Full coverage: Con Lucey report
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: