How the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) is governed is set to change, with an internal group coming forward with a number of options to be put to membership.

At present, the RUAS is a registered charity, effectively run by a council of over 100 individuals, elected by the membership, who have collective responsibility and authority for the decisions made by the society.

However, the internal review has highlighted a number of disadvantages with current arrangements, including that the lack of named trustees goes against best advice and does not reflect modern legal requirements. “Often large groups/boards lead to slow decision making and diminished efficiency,” notes the review group. Their advice is that retaining current arrangements is not an option going forward.

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The preferred model would convert the society into a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. That would involve the creation of a trustee board elected by the council, with the new company registered with both Companies House in the UK and the Charity Commission for NI.

The change would represent a significant legal and structural shift for the RUAS. “The delivery of this option will be time-consuming and incur additional one-off expenditure,” states the internal review document. However, the document points out there are various advantages, including that the new structure will be “modern and transparent”.

New president

Meanwhile, David Cunningham from Ballygowan in Co Down was elected as the 38th president of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) on 6 March, replacing Co Armagh native, John Henning who had served for a two-year term.

Cunningham joined the RUAS back in 1963 and was elected onto its council in 2000. He is the first third-generation president within the Society, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Lt Col James G Cunningham OBE VL and his late father, Roly Cunningham.