The branch was due to hold a vote for its more than 100 members in the election of the IFA’s president and deputy president this Tuesday night, but the branch executive has decided against it in a motion of support for branch member John O’Beirne.
O’Beirne, who served as Roscommon IFA chair until two years ago, is one of the five declared candidates in the race for Connacht regional chair. In order to have a contest, a candidate must receive the backing of their own county, as well as the support from one other county in the province. A county can only lend support to one candidate.
As each county in the province has backed a candidate from their own county, each of the five candidates have been unable to secure a second nomination.
The executive of the Strokestown branch said there is a “clear lack of leadership” in the IFA with regard to the Connacht IFA region.
The five counties in Connacht were given a deadline of Easter Sunday by the IFA’s executive council to reach an agreement to facilitate an election, but no such agreement was reached.
Rule 75 (b)
The situation is made more complicated by the fact that this is the second time the province has been forced to seek nominations for the position of regional chair.
In February, O’Beirne was the only candidate to receive backing from his own county, as well as one other county. However, he was subsequently excluded, as he works off-farm. Under rule 75(b) of the IFA’s rules, a candidate for such a senior position must be a full-time farmer. O’Beirne works for An Post.
O’Beirne had planned to take a leave of absence from his job. However, this had not commenced at the time of nominations closing and this resulted in nominations reopening. He has since started his leave of absence from the job.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, John O’Beirne said that he is going to return to work and is demanding action by IFA’s executive council.
“I’ve sat out of work for seven weeks now, waiting to see what will happen here (with regard to the Connacht race),” O’Beirne said
“I’m going back to work. I’ve made that decision. If the powers that be in the IFA deem me as unfit to take up the role then so be it, but I’m a candidate and I will remain a candidate until such a point that IFA headquarters want to rule me out. I will not sit on my hands waiting from them to make a decision,” O’Beirne said.
It is not yet clear if other branches will follow the lead of Strokestown.
IFA response
A spokesperson for the IFA provided the following statement.
“After running the nomination process twice, there were no valid nominations for the position of IFA Connacht chair. Candidates require a nomination by their own county executive and the signed support of one chair of another county executive in the region.
“The situation in Connacht was considered at a meeting of the IFA executive council last week. The strong view of the council was that the situation needs to be resolved within the region. The council agreed that all efforts would be made to facilitate a resolution whereby the parties in Connacht would be given more time to move forward under existing rules so that an election for Connacht chair would take place as early as possible. The IFA also confirmed that a proposed rule change will be decided at the next council meeting to allow part-time farmers to be eligible as candidates for the position of regional chair.”
Watch our live debate with the three candidates for IFA president in a special edition of Around the Editor’s Table this Friday 1 April at 8pm on www.farmersjournal.ie.
Read more
Full coverage: IFA elections 2016
The branch was due to hold a vote for its more than 100 members in the election of the IFA’s president and deputy president this Tuesday night, but the branch executive has decided against it in a motion of support for branch member John O’Beirne.
O’Beirne, who served as Roscommon IFA chair until two years ago, is one of the five declared candidates in the race for Connacht regional chair. In order to have a contest, a candidate must receive the backing of their own county, as well as the support from one other county in the province. A county can only lend support to one candidate.
As each county in the province has backed a candidate from their own county, each of the five candidates have been unable to secure a second nomination.
The executive of the Strokestown branch said there is a “clear lack of leadership” in the IFA with regard to the Connacht IFA region.
The five counties in Connacht were given a deadline of Easter Sunday by the IFA’s executive council to reach an agreement to facilitate an election, but no such agreement was reached.
Rule 75 (b)
The situation is made more complicated by the fact that this is the second time the province has been forced to seek nominations for the position of regional chair.
In February, O’Beirne was the only candidate to receive backing from his own county, as well as one other county. However, he was subsequently excluded, as he works off-farm. Under rule 75(b) of the IFA’s rules, a candidate for such a senior position must be a full-time farmer. O’Beirne works for An Post.
O’Beirne had planned to take a leave of absence from his job. However, this had not commenced at the time of nominations closing and this resulted in nominations reopening. He has since started his leave of absence from the job.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, John O’Beirne said that he is going to return to work and is demanding action by IFA’s executive council.
“I’ve sat out of work for seven weeks now, waiting to see what will happen here (with regard to the Connacht race),” O’Beirne said
“I’m going back to work. I’ve made that decision. If the powers that be in the IFA deem me as unfit to take up the role then so be it, but I’m a candidate and I will remain a candidate until such a point that IFA headquarters want to rule me out. I will not sit on my hands waiting from them to make a decision,” O’Beirne said.
It is not yet clear if other branches will follow the lead of Strokestown.
IFA response
A spokesperson for the IFA provided the following statement.
“After running the nomination process twice, there were no valid nominations for the position of IFA Connacht chair. Candidates require a nomination by their own county executive and the signed support of one chair of another county executive in the region.
“The situation in Connacht was considered at a meeting of the IFA executive council last week. The strong view of the council was that the situation needs to be resolved within the region. The council agreed that all efforts would be made to facilitate a resolution whereby the parties in Connacht would be given more time to move forward under existing rules so that an election for Connacht chair would take place as early as possible. The IFA also confirmed that a proposed rule change will be decided at the next council meeting to allow part-time farmers to be eligible as candidates for the position of regional chair.”
Watch our live debate with the three candidates for IFA president in a special edition of Around the Editor’s Table this Friday 1 April at 8pm on www.farmersjournal.ie.
Read more
Full coverage: IFA elections 2016
SHARING OPTIONS