The IFA branch in Crossmolina, Co Mayo, will remain closed until at least the autumn of this year, it was agreed at a meeting last week.

The meeting followed an AGM on 6 December at which only seven members attended and successfully presented a proposal to close down the branch.

A member present at both meetings said that not one person spoke to keep the branch open at the AGM.

"The feeling around the room was that the IFA is not representing the beef sector well," said the member, who wished to remain anonymous. "The IFA is very good at lobbying in Brussels, but cannot seem to solve local problems," he said.

BDGP and €200/cow payment

The farmer gave the example of BDGP, saying national IFA leaders had encouraged members to join the scheme on the promise that it would be improved later – yet "they didn't even try to get it changed".

The IFA-supported €200/cow suckler premium proposal was also unpopular with the Crossmolina member, who said it would boost processors' profits rather than farm incomes.

"The only people who are supporting the €200/cow grant are the beef factories," the farmer said.

We will get the branch up and going again

IFA livestock Mayo chair and national vice-chair Brendan Golden also attended the meetings and told the Irish Farmers Journal that the association called a second meeting, attended by around 20 people, after the AGM adopted the branch closure.

Those members who had attended the AGM opposed the move to re-open the issue.

Golden accepted that there was no prospect of keeping the branch open until October or November this year, when the IFA hopes to hold a new meeting.

"We will get the branch up and going again," Golden said.

"There are 65 or 70 members there who need to be represented. Maybe the branch needs time to get more people back on track."

We can't tell people what they want to hear

The livestock vice-chair also admitted that he did not come with good news when he attended the AGM, reporting on oversupplied markets and Brexit.

"We can't tell people what they want to hear," he said, adding that the IFA was suffering from "negativity from other sources".

Although he did not name it, the Beef Plan Movement has been attacking the IFA's defence of beef farmers recently.

The Crossmolina branch member said that not all farmers who supported closing their branch were drawn to the Beef Plan Movement, but added: "The Beef Plan at least has a beef plan."

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