First votes cast in IFA leadership elections

The first votes in the election for the next president and deputy president of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) were cast last night.

A total of 75,501 members in 947 branches in 29 county executives across the country were entitled to vote.

Balloting will continue until April 15 and the national count takes place at the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin on April 19.

Henry Burns, a Laois sheep and suckler farmer and livestock committee chairman, Joe Healy, a Galway dairy farmer and business commttee member and Flor McCarthy, a Kerry sheep and suckler farmer and rural development committee chairman are the candidates for president.

Candidates for deputy president are Pat Farrell, Kildare; Richard Kennedy, Limerick and Nigel Renaghan, Monaghan.

IFA returning officer Jer Bergin urged farmers to vote in the election for the president and deputy president, who will lead the Association over the next four years.

“The IFA election is unique as it allows every member the chance to hear what candidates are offering, and then they have a vote in the national contest.

This year’s election will be run on one member one vote,” he said.

Members who voted last night were in over 60 branches including those in Bere Island (West Cork) and Valentia Island (Kerry) and Ballyragget (Kilkenny).