In his final address as IFA president, Joe Healy expressed frustration about the damage other groups representing beef farmers had done to the sector.

The latter stages of Healy’s four-year term were dominated by crisis in the beef sector.

Referring to low beef prices in 2019, Helay said the IFA felt, based on market conditions, it would “be difficult to get a price rise”.

Addressing the IFA AGM, he said: “We understood that and we delivered €100m. Others didn't necessarily understand that, but still went after something, probably martyrdom and self-gratification, and delivered nothing but bedlam and a backlog.”

Backlog

He said people had gone on social media to claim reducing the kill had been a success.

“You'd wonder at times, did they not realise that those animals weren't being live exported out of the country, they were going back into the system, and were going to create the backlog, that they did create,” Healy said.

They might even try and do some damage in our main market. And I wasn't wrong

“And, you know, there were times I said this crowd is so dangerous, you wouldn't know they might even try and do some damage in our main market. And I wasn't wrong.”

He said it was unbelievable that a group claiming to represent beef farmers would write a letter to UK retailers “to insinuate that the Irish beef is forced-fed with grains and cereals” and that they were being misled about Irish beef.

Deliveries

Reflecting on other deliveries during his term, Healy pointed to the Sheep Welfare Scheme, an increase to the ANC and the low-cost loan schemes as areas where the IFA had put money in farmers’ pockets.

Speaking about the aftermath of one of his first budgets as president, Healy said: “I was listening to the radio, one of the Dublin stations, and there was an elderly lady being interviewed about the budget and she was scathing of the budget.

“She said I think we should get the IFA to represent us... she said “I got a fiver a week increase, if I was an old ewe I’d of got a tenner a week increase”.”

Concluding his speech, Healy thanked his wife and family, outgoing deputy president Richard Kennedy and IFA staff he had worked closely with during his term.

He finished by urging farmers to be safe during the upcoming calving and lambing season.

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