This is a subscriber-only article
An internal revolt has begun in the Beef Plan Movement as several county committees have voted no confidence in national chair Hugh Doyle.
County commitees in Westmeath, Offaly, Laois, Kerry, Sligo, Monaghan and Donegal told the Irish Farmers Journal they were among those to have passed votes of no confidence.
The votes come as county AGMs had been due to take place by 15 January as part of the group’s inaugural national elections.
The elections are in jeopardy of not taking place as scheduled after several members of the national committee, which was stood down by Beef Plan co-chairs Hugh Doyle and Eamon Corley, held a meeting on Saturday night to postpone them.
Issues
The standing down of the committee came amid alleged “serious disciplinary issues”. The Beef Plan introduced rules of governance in December 2019 and in a statement the co-chairs said some members allegedly distributed an alternative document into unapproved WhatsApp groups.
The first AGM and election is due to take place in Galway on Wednesday 8 January.
The committee wants an EGM to be held on 26 January before elections take place to address several concerns. These issues relate to the transparency of the Beef Plan, particularly membership numbers and its finances.
The national committee has requested a full independent external audit of the books and membership numbers.
Transparency
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, David Whelehan, Westmeath Beef Plan chair, said: “It’s important that questions being asked around transparency and accountability are answered and that those asking questions are not publicly victimised like what happened the national committee.
“The organisation should strive for the highest standards in all its governance, including new elections, and the adjustment can be difficult for some to accept but change and continuous improvement is best for the organisation in the long term.”
SHARING OPTIONS: