Stability and a return to the grassroots needed – not divisive elections

FORMER Galway IFA National President, John Donnelly – one of the most respected farming voices in the country – has told the Farming Tribune that the last thing the association needs now is a divisive election campaign.

He has called for the Executive Board of the IFA to resign their positions and for the association’s 29 county chairs and the national committee chairs, to call a meeting with a view to amending the rules on all elections.

“What the IFA doesn’t need now is a divisive election campaign that could end up doing more damage to the association. This is a time to steady the ship and to get some measure of stability back to the association over the next six months,” Mr. Donnelly told the Farming Tribune this week.

He said that the National Committee Chairs should, over that six month period, take responsibility for handling policy in their own areas with the county chairs taking on the task of highlighting and lobbying on the main farming issues in the run-up to the General Election.

“Like everyone else, I’m very saddened and disappointed at what has happened the association over recent weeks. I was also shocked at the pay levels that came out – no one is worth that king of money,” said John Donnelly.

The Executive Board of the IFA is made up of the president, general secretary, deputy president, four regional chairmen and the treasurer.

President Eddie Downey and General Secretary, Pat Smith are already gone but the rest of the Executive Board remain in place namely: Deputy President, Tim O’Leary; Tom Turley, Chair Connacht; James McCarthy, Munster; James Murphy, South Leinster; Bert Stewart, Ulster/North Leinster; and Jer Bergin, National Treasurer/Returning Officer.

“For the overall good of the association in this current crisis, I think it’s important for the executive board to step down. The onus then goes back to the county chairs and the national committee chairs, to restore stability to the association, and the first thing they should do is to amend the rules to suspend any elections for the next six months,” said John Donnelly.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.