The Moore branch of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) in Co Roscommon has withheld voting in the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential elections over issues surrounding new Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) valuations and the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) scheme.

The south Roscommon branch held its AGM and meeting to cast their votes for the upcoming IFA elections on Tuesday 7 November and agreed unanimously to withhold voting pending a clear clarification from the IFA outlining its position in relation to the new ICBF evaluations due on 21 November.

"[The] IFA [has] four members on the board of [the] ICBF and must update its membership on whether or not they support the changes," chair of the branch Padraig Egan said.

SCEP

In addition, he said that the branch members are extremely unhappy with IFA headquarters for allowing the current SCEP scheme to progress under its current conditions and for also not ensuring that the €200 per suckler cow was not delivered in full to farmers.

A lack of leadership and direction was cited as a key issue and is causing frustration among the general members, Egan said.

The Moore branch will meet again in two weeks’ time and, depending on the response from the IFA, it may ask its members to consider withdrawing from the association.

The meeting then continued with its AGM and elected its officers and conducted the rest of its business.