Election results for senior IFA position to be announced on Friday

The results of the election for a senior position within the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) are set to be announced on Friday.

Nigel Renaghan from Co. Monaghan and James Speares from Co. Cavan are contesting the race to become the association’s regional chairman for Ulster / North Leinster.

The successful candidate will replace the current regional chairman Bert Stewart, a dairy farmer who hails from Co. Monaghan.

Also Read: Election race heats up for senior IFA position

As it stands, the husting process is nearly at completion. One such event is set to take place in Co. Monaghan tonight – Renaghan’s native county.

Last night, a husting event took place in Co. Cavan – where Speares is the outgoing IFA county chairman.

The election campaign has attracted significant attention of late, following comments made by Speares at a husting event in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, on Wednesday, December 6.

When asked how the IFA could go about attracting more women and young people into the organisation, Speares reportedly included a joke as part of his response, saying “women have smaller feet so they can get closer to the kitchen sink”.

But sources outlined to AgriLand that the comments weren’t mentioned during the husting event last night in Co. Cavan – which was attended by approximately 25 women, in an overall crowd of just in excess of 100 people.

It is understood that there was close to a full turnout of voters and that the Cavan candidate would have taken the majority of the vote in his native county. Speares has recently come out to “apologise unreservedly” for the comments which he made at the husting event in Co. Westmeath.

Renaghan – who is the outgoing IFA Poultry Committee chairman, as well as a poultry and beef farmer himself – is expected to perform strongly in Co. Monaghan tonight.

As it stands, there is very little to separate the candidates. The common consensus at the moment is that Renaghan may have taken a greater share of the votes in counties Westmeath and Donegal to date. While Speares is understood to have garnered a greater share of the vote in counties Cavan, Meath and Longford.

The final husting event of the campaign, after tonight’s one in Co. Monaghan, is set to get underway in Co. Louth on Thursday night. Then the votes will be counted on Friday, with a result expected once the calculations have been made.

Upcoming election for top ICSA job

Meanwhile, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) is set to hold its presidential election this coming Thursday (December 14) at the Midlands Park Hotel in Portlaoise, Co Laois.

The two candidates, current president Patrick Kent and rural development chairman Seamus Sherlock, will go head-to-head in the vote.

The outcome of this vote will decide who will lead the association for the next two years. Proceedings on the night are scheduled to begin at 8:00pm.

Each candidate will make a presentation to the national executive, which will be followed by a questions and answers session with the candidates. The vote will follow, with a result expected at 9:00pm, according to the association.