It was a gruelling campaign for those canvassing to get elected into the most important positions in the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) these past few weeks.

Night after night the three candidates for IFA president and deputy president faced tough questions from IFA members in each county on issues ranging from incomes, to pre-nups, to how they intend to rebuild the trust of the members following the shocking pay revelations of last year.

Now two men have been elected: Joe Healy as president and Richard Kennedy as deputy president.

Both are former Macra presidents, a fact not lost on the organisation, which sent out a press release almost immediately highlighting the happy coincidence.

Healy, who is from Athenry in Co Galway, is the first farmer from the west of Ireland to be elected as IFA president in 20 years.

He is also something of an outsider, being an initially reluctant nominee and the only candidate not sitting on any of the IFA’s national structures.

It is only as a united organisation that we will achieve what we are and achieve what we all about – a viable margin for all farmers going into the future.

He now faces the unenviable task of trying to unite an organisation that was splintered by those pay revelations, but he claims he is ready for the job.

“The organisation has been through a tough period,” he said in his acceptance speech. “But it will come out the other side stronger and better and better able to fight the future. That’s what IFA has to be.”

He addressed the income crisis – the fact that nearly all commodities are currently being sold below the cost of production – and the threat a Mercosur deal poses to Irish beef exports.

“It is only as a united organisation that we will achieve what we are and achieve what we all about – a viable margin for all farmers going into the future,” he said. “Agriculture is the cornerstone of rural Ireland and has to be respected as such. So there’s a huge job of work there for us all.”

Healy's first job as newly-elected president will be a meeting this afternoon with Glanbia, where he will raise the fact that Glanbia suppliers are genuinely questioning the level of base milk price being paid by GII, which has been consistently lower than other milk purchasers. He will then travel to Brussels to attend his first meeting of the COPA Praesidium. There he will meet with other farm leaders to mount strong opposition to any Mercosur trade deal and build support for IFA’s campaign to abolish import tariffs on fertiliser.

Challenges

The challenges for this new remodelled version of the IFA and its president are real. Dairy, beef and tillage incomes are on the floor, Brussels drives a hard bargain with regard to supports, most of the recommendations of the Con Lucey report are still to be implemented and some pushed even further, former general secretary Pat Smith has launched two High Court actions against his former employer, voting turnout in the IFA election was low, ranging from only 25% to 50% of valid members in most counties, and the impasse in trying to form a government means there is no long-term minister for agriculture.

Despite not knowing how long his tenure as agriculture minister will last, Simon Coveney congratulated Joe Healy in a press release last night, saying he has always enjoyed “a good working relationship with the IFA and looks forward to continuing this with Joe”.

Healy and Coveney now have to work together to ensure the promises made at the council of EU agriculture ministers in March are delivered upon, including a near doubling of the intervention ceiling for SMP and the opening of another Private Storage Aid scheme for pigmeat.

AGM

Following this, the next big event for the IFA president will be the organisation’s AGM, due to take place on 27 April in the Irish Farm Centre.

This will also be a key event for Richard Kennedy, the new deputy president, who told the crowds during his acceptance speech that he believes passionately in the IFA.

“It is absolutely critical to my business as a farmer. It is critical to our survival. When we had all the bad news last year, I felt I lost something, and I felt vulnerable. I thought long and hard, and I said: ‘Look, put up your hand and see where it takes you.’ I know it’s only the beginning, and I’ll be here to support Joe all the way.”

Fresh faces and a fresh outlook in the IFA. We don’t know exactly what the next few months will bring for Healy and Kennedy, but what is certain is that both disgruntled IFA members and its supporters alike will be watching with keen interest to see how the phoenix rises from the ashes.

Read more

Straight win for Joe Healy in IFA election count

Map and graphs: IFA election results

Read more

Full Coverage: IFA Election Day