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DEAR SIR: I found the interview with Kelvin Jackson on the theme of co-op boards questioning their CEO’s (10 November) very interesting. It raised several questions for me in relation to the people we elect to the boards of our co-ops.
Are we as farmers aware of what the role of a board member actually is? As farmers how often do we question our board members on co-op-related matters?
Do members of our boards have the necessary skills needed to represent our interests?
Are any of our board members underperforming or out of their depth? Are there enough new faces being elected to boards?
Leaders
What is being done to identify and attract new leaders within co-ops?
Is the fact that a lot of boards are made up of neighbours and people who are part of the local community hindering us from asking the hard questions and getting satisfactory answers in relation to the performance of our co-ops? Do we fear that such criticism could be taken personally?
As Irish farmers I feel that we are very fortunate to have quite a strong grip on the processing and sales side of our industry in the form of dairy co-ops and livestock marts.
Critical
It can often be taken for granted when things are going well and only come into question when things aren’t going so well. The importance of having a strong board is critical when it comes to getting the best price for our produce and getting the most from our co-ops’ management teams.
The business of farming is constantly becoming bigger and more globalised. We really need to think long and hard about the people we elect to boards and the skills and qualities they possess because the future of our business is in their hands.
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