Changes to affect sugar beet section
They include a number of important changes, which were agreed by the Section following detailed consultations with the IFA Rules Committee chairman Seumas O’Brien and secretary Bryan Barry.
IFA National Council has now approved the updated rules which come into force in the beet grower elections, taking place this November-December.
The main change is the creation of a single National Sugar Beet Committee to replace the old structure of two factory area boards in Carlow and Mallow and a national board.
The new National Sugar Beet Committee will meet for the first time on December 9t, following the completion of the grower elections.
The entire national committee will elect a new chairman, who will serve a single three-year term to the end of 2005 to synchronise with other IFA national officers and commodity chairmen.
From 2005, the Sugar Beet chairman will be entitled to serve two two-year terms, the same as other national chairmen.
Members of the new National Sugar Beet Committee will be entitled to serve a maximum of three consecutive two-year terms (6 years), the same as other IFA national committees.
Full implementation of the automatic retirement of existing longer serving members means that all members elected pre-1999 will have retired by the next grower elections in 2004. Two-thirds of the longer serving members will have retired by this year’s elections.
The number of grower delegates or committee members is also being brought into line with other IFA national committees. The number is being reduced to 36 this year, 32 in the 2004 elections and 30 in 2006.
However, these numbers are to be reviewed if more growers exit through a beet-restructuring scheme. Up to 1997 the official number of delegates under the old factory board structure was 44.
The name of the Section is being changed to “the IFA Sugar Beet Section“, dropping the reference to contract vegetable growing in the Midleton area which has ceased.
Sugar Beet Section chairman Willie French said these updated rules will give the Section a more streamlined structure with more effective representation in the best interests of all beet growers.
“This is an important lesson from last year’s beet price dispute when solidarity within IFA was a decisive factor,” he said.
