Thomas Duffy has officially declared himself as a candidate in the Macra na Feirme president race 2019 at a North West Macra meeting on Monday 7 January.

Duffy farms 95 spring calving dairy cows in partnership with his parents in southeast Cavan and will be bidding to become the 37th president of Macra. He also works as a part-time agricultural advisor.

Macra involvement

Duffy has a long standing involvement in Macra, having joined the Ramor branch over 10 years ago, aged 17. Duffy is currently Macra chair, having represented Cavan for two years on the national executive.

Outlining his presidential platform, he indicated his focus would be on his successful record of promoting transparency and being the voice of young people in agriculture and rural youth.

As president, he said he would “continue and drive the voice of Macra as the main voice of rural youth in the Irish media".

Duffy continued by saying: "I will also look at continuing and speeding up reforms to our Macra organisation in its 75th year.”

Education

Outside of Macra, Duffy has a degree in Sustainable Agriculture from Dundalk Institute of Technology and a masters in Environmental Management from UCD.

According to Duffy, this study allows him to look at farming and rural issues from both a “scientific and a practical point of view as my masters' focus was on agriculture and climate change which are both issue on the tip of the tongue for those living in rural communities, both young and old”.