This is a subscriber-only article
IFA president elect Tim Cullinan said that taking up his position in the middle of an election campaign is an “excellent” time to join the association, speaking on the Seán O'Rourke radio programme on Tuesday 14 January.
He said that his first job as president will be to compile the manifesto for the farmers of Ireland with some of the key issues, after he officially takes his position on 27 January.
CAP budget
He said that Irish farmers have €1.8bn coming into the country every year under CAP and it is his priority to not just maintain the budget, but to increase it.
Brexit is another hot topic critical for Irish farming and Cullinan intends to get Irish exports off the shelves and exported to Britain post-Brexit as it's “critical” for Irish farming.
Farmers have been trampled on and walked on for too long
“Farmers have been trampled on and walked on for too long and it’s time we took on the fight,” said Cullinan, quoting from his election campaign.
"For years, we have been suffering from below-cost selling in the pig sector and that is something I’m going to take up and take very serious going forward.”
He said that retailers have been using beef, dairy and vegetables as loss-leaders for too long.
“I will put the fight back into farmers and farming,” he said.
SHARING OPTIONS: