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The 17th president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) Francie Gorman has said he is determined to deliver for farmers over the course of his four-year term, which will begin in January at the IFA AGM.
Gorman was elected on Tuesday evening, taking home 16,699 votes out of the valid poll of 29,909 to Martin Stapleton's 13,210.
“Based on that motto of unity, strength and delivery, I promise to lead [the] IFA in that fashion.
“We will deliver for farmers if we tackle every issue in a unified manner and that has to be our goal. If we do that with the determination that our forefathers had when they founded this organisation, we will make farmers better off.
“At the end of the day, it is about putting money in farmers' pockets, but it’s also about communicating in a positive way what we do as farmers and to defend farming against the unfair criticism that’s been levelled at us, particularly on environmental issues,” Gorman said.
Strong mandate
Gorman said that the election result has given him a clear, strong mandate from IFA farmers who have spoken and elected him as president.
“I can promise you that no farmer will be taken for granted under my presidency. I will lead this organisation in a unified manner.
"We as members should be judged on the organisation that we leave behind in four years’ time and not the one that we have today,” he said.
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