Macra na Feirme’s new president, a full-time dairy farmer from Cavan, Thomas Duffy, wants the young farmer association to become a leading voice on climate change.

He told the Irish Farmers Journal this week that Macra is going to grow as an organisation and that it has to keep up with trends.

“We know there are going to be hard challenges, we know there are going to be obligations on us. On matters such as climate change, I want Macra to become a leading voice, because young people are the ones that are leading that conversation.

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We can be more ambitious than others and I want us to be ambitious in our targets for climate change

“Because we are the leading voice of young farmers, we are the people that are well educated to know when a measure is just, fair, economically viable, but also physically possible.

“We can be more ambitious than others and I want us to be ambitious in our targets for climate change, because we have to be,” said Duffy. Outside of climate change, he said that one of the key issues facing agriculture going forward is rural connectivity and rural broadband. “Ultimately, we need good access to high-speed broadband.”

Duffy took over the role on Saturday at Macra’s AGM, taking the chain of office from Corkman James Healy.

“It’s a huge honour for me, I’m incredibly proud of it. Also I would be lying if I said it’s not daunting.

“It’s a scary role, because Macra is such an incredibly influential organisation. The power and the history of the organisation I’m taking over is absolutely massive and it’s a challenge that I’m going to have to rise to, to be the equal of it,” said Duffy.