Additional reporting by Claire Mc Cormack
The joint national chairpersons of the Beef Plan Movement have issued a statement saying that the organisation’s national committees and spokespersons have been “stood down”.
This, according to the statement, is due to “certain matters requiring investigation and possibly disciplinary action”.
However, AgriLand understands that a previously organised Beef Plan National Committee meeting is due to take place this evening, Saturday, January 4, in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
This meeting is still expected to take place as planned in Portlaoise.
While the statement from the co-chairs, Meath farmers Hugh Doyle and Eamon Corley, does not outline the detail behind the disciplinary matters in question, it states the following:
In line with the current ongoing election process and internal restructuring of the organisation and review of certain matters requiring investigation and possibly disciplinary action, the personnel that publicly represent the organisation are changing.
“County AGMs run under our rules of governance are due to be completed by January 15, 2020.
“Completion of the county AGMs will effectively create a national committee that will be in a position to take control of representation of our grass roots members and their views nationally.
“The volunteer national committees relied upon this far and spokespersons for Beef Plan Movement have been stood down and no longer have the authority to conduct any matters on behalf of the organisation.
It is the desire of both the current chairpersons of Beef Plan Movement, namely Hugh Doyle and Eamon Corley, to unite the grass root members of Beef Plan Movement and to unite the soon-to-be-elected representatives of the organisation to ensure effective negotiation on behalf of such members at county and national level.
“The organisation will then drive forward with one strong effective and unified voice that will strive to protect and support the livelihoods of all beef farmers of Ireland and hopefully protect and support the social fabric of Rural Ireland,” the joint chairpersons conclude.