Former president of the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS), Padraig Gibbons, has been named as the new chair of the Commonage Implementation Committee. The committee has a role in examining cases where there may be disagreement or difficulties in reaching agreement between active shareholders in the preparation of a GLAS Commonage Management Plan. In announcing the appointment, Creed said that the committee’s work on outstanding cases will commence shortly.

“I am very pleased to say that Mr Padraig Gibbons has agreed to chair the Commonage Implementation Committee,” the Minister said. He noted that Mr Gibbons, a farmer from Mayo, has experience of all aspects of the agricultural sector and has previously chaired the independent appeals committees, which was established to deal with both the operation of the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the review of the Land Parcel Identification System.

Gibbons is a former chair and current board member of Aurivo and a member of the Boards of Teagasc and the National Dairy Council.

He will be joined on the committee by nominees from the Department of Agriculture, The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and the Gaeltacht Affairs and Teagasc.

3,000 commonage farmers expected to join GLAS III

Gibbons appointed chair of Commonage Implementation Committee

Mayo man Padraig Gibbons has been appointed as the new chair of the independent Commonage Implementation Committee by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.