Farm organisations elect new leaders next week
IFA and ICMSA presidential election counts take place simultaneously the City West Hotel, Dublin and Kilmurray Lodge Hotel, Limerick.
Whoever follows John Dillon and Pat O’Rourke will take over at a time of the greatest uncertainty in farming, with the stiffest challenge ever to sustain a reasonable number of farm families on the land.
Many farmers are wondering if they have a future in farming.
EU supports have been decoupled from production.
A lot of farm land is left without entitlements, undermining its value going forward.
Better economies of scale in other parts of the world threaten even the most efficient of Irish farmers.
More farmers are questioning the role their leaders can play in shaping the future, and how much influence they have to set the agenda.
Whoever takes over in IFA and ICMSA, we wish them well for the future and hope that they will genuinely use their influence for the betterment of the family farms of this country at a time when there was never more uncertainty or a greater feeling of insecurity among farmers, their families and the agri business sector.
