Bord Bia to run farmer forum regional roadshow following high number of applicants
100 selected applicants will be invited to the first forum assembly in June, with further assemblies taking place later in the year.
A farmer forum regional roadshow will take place in autumn following the high number of applicants for the Bord Bia Farmer Forum.
Following the strong level of interest in the Bord Bia Farmer Forum, with a high volume of applications received from farmers and growers keen to take part in the new initiative, Bord Bia has revised its approach.
The organisation will now host a regional farmer forum roadshow this autumn, ensuring all applicants have the opportunity to participate.
These events will take place in addition to Bord Bia Farmer Forum assemblies. The first Bord Bia Farmer Forum assembly will comprise 100 farmers and growers, who will meet in June, with further assemblies taking place later in the year.
An open call was issued by Bord Bia to all quality assured farmers and growers on May 5, with the organisation receiving more than 600 applications. The Bord Bia Farmer Forum was established to give farmers and growers a stronger voice in the organisation’s work, and create structured, two-way engagement with Bord Bia scheme members.
Bord Bia chief executive Jim O’Toole said: “We appreciate the strong willingness among members to engage with Bord Bia. To allow for constructive discussion and feedback, the number of participants in the first assembly has been capped at 100.
"However, we are eager to accommodate the hundreds of farmers and growers who expressed an interest in being part of the forum. The roadshow events across the country will give all applicants the opportunity to participate and allow for the broadest possible representation of farmers and growers.”
The Bord Bia Farmer Forum roadshow will complement and enhance the farmer forum assembly discussions. All quality assured members who applied before the May 20 deadline can attend the roadshow events.
The 100 who have been invited to attend the first assembly were chosen by a lottery system, weighted to ensure a balanced and representative group of farm types, sizes, regions, and gender.
All applicants will be contacted from May 28 onwards, with further information on the Bord Bia Farmer Forum and next steps.
