Henchy: I didn’t have total trust in chairman

Former Dairygold chief executive Jerry Henchy has told the High Court he did not have a relationship of “total trust” at all times with the society’s chairman, Vincent Buckley, after Mr Buckley was elected to that position in 2008.

Mr Henchy said he believed Mr Buckley had tried to link his disapproval of Mr Buckley’s refusal some years earlier to sign a code of conduct for Dairygold board members with issues related to Mr Henchy’s remuneration. Those were two separate issues, and he disagreed with such an approach by Mr Buckley, he said.

He was disappointed a private conversation with the society’s vice-chairman, Patsy Kelleher, was raised by Mr Kelleher at a board meeting. That conversation, in which he told Mr Kelleher he considered there would be difficulties working with a Dairygold chairman who refused to sign the code of conduct, was confidential, Mr Henchy said.