A major dispute has broken out within Beef Plan Movement.
Meetings are currently taking place across the country in an attempt to “explain” the situation to members on the ground ahead of organisation’s 2020 elections, as many Beef Plan WhatsApp accounts – the movement’s main tool to communicate with members – were suddenly shut down in recent days, causing much confusion.
Two predominant sides have emerged from the row: They are current chairman Hugh Doyle and Meath chairman Eamon Corley versus the majority of members of the organisation’s National Committee – which Doyle and Corley ordered to be “stood down” last weekend, alongside its spokespersons.
This situation is escalating ahead of tomorrow’s second meeting of the Beef Market Taskforce at Agriculture House in Dublin.
It is understood that a proposal has been put forward for one member from each side of the debate to represent Beef Plan Movement at the meeting.
The row is predicated on a number of issues – many of which are linked to Beef Plan Movement’s Rule of Governance – a report that was signed off on by all four directors of Beef Plan Movement CLG (company limited by guarantee) on Friday, December 12, 2019.
There is some contention that the rules are not being adhered to in relation to the election process and in other areas too.
The directors of Beef Plan Movement CLG are: Hugh Doyle (national chairman); Kevin O’Brien (Galway chairman); Enda Fingleton (Laois chairman and south-east regional chair); and Alan O’Brien (Kilkenny chairman and south-east regional vice chair). Eamon Corley stepped down from his director’s role in August 2019.
- Objectives of the organisation;
- Membership;
- The establishment of County or Area Committees;
- Election of County Committees;
- County AGM;
- Business of County or Area Committee meetings;
- Establishment of National Committees and National Sub Committees;
- Duties and powers of National Committee;
- Establishment of the Board of Beef Plan Movement CLG;
- Duties and Powers of the Board of Beef Plan Movement CLG;
- Proceedings at meetings generally;
- Election of regional committees;
- National AGM;
- Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM);
- Service of notes;
- Motions;
- Voting;
- Proxies;
- GDPR office;
- Communications, use of Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media and authorisations;
- General conduct of members;
- Collective responsibility;
- Conflicts of interest;
- Grievance procedures and dispute resolution;
- Disciplinary procedures and removal of officers or members;
- Suspension, expulsion and removal of officers and from membership;
- Establishment of general office, company seal and bank accounts;
- Appointment of administrative and executive staff;
- Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements;
- Appointment of review sub-committee;
- Addition/deletion/alteration of rules of governance;
- Dissolution (in conjunction with the memorandum of Beef Plan Limited);
- Copyright and intellectual property rights;
- Mediation and arbitration;
- And miscellaneous.
AgriLand understands that there are a number of sticking points within the Rules of Governance that have raised significant concern among members and officers of the organisation in recent weeks – some counties are now considering whether its elections should be deferred to a later date, so that all sides can come to a resolution.
However, Doyle and Corley remain adamant that the National Committee has been “stood down”, although it is not yet clear if and where this is expressly stated in the rules.
Yet, they insist that, in line with the Rules of Governance for the organisation, the Beef Plan 2020 elections “must be completed” as planned this month.
Galway election
In addition to the Rules of Governance debate, issues have also emerged with regards to the bid of Eoin Donnelly, western chairman and Galway vice chairman, who wants to run for the position of Galway chairman.
Donnelly claims that he is being prevented from running in the election, as it appears that his official registration form cannot be located. Therefore, it is being argued that he is “not an official member” of the Beef Plan Movement.
During the height of last September’s beef talks, Donnelly acted as Beef Plan’s lead negotiator around the table at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Backweston Campus in Co. Kildare and Agriculture House in Dublin.
In a video posted on the group’s social media at the time, Hugh Doyle current chairman of Beef Plan Movement described Donnelly’s contribution to the talks as “immense”.
The talks eventually led to the establishment of the Irish Beef Sector Agreement.
The Galway Beef Plan election is scheduled to take place at Turloughmore GAA Club in Galway at 8:00pm tonight, Wednesday, January 8.
Contested Rules
Below are some of the specific rules that several members of the National Committee (which was “stood down” last weekend) – including Eoin Donnelly – have raised concerns about:
Under the section ‘Establishment of National Committee and National Sub-Committees’ of Beef Plan Movement’s Rules of Governance there are 26 rules, including the following:
“Until such a time as 75% of the National Committee decides by Special Resolution to delete this particular rule, due to the serious conflict of interest deemed arising, no director or shadow director of any beef producer group shall be entitled to be a member of the Board of Beef Plan Movement CLG or become chairperson, vice chairperson or any other officer or assistance officer of the National Committee.”
With regards to this specific rule, several official members claim that this raises questions over Eamon Corley’s assertion that he is a ‘joint chairman’ of Beef Plan, as the Meath farmer is also one of six directors of the recently formed Emerald Isle Beef Producers.
Another rule that has become a significant bone of contention is connected to rules under the section ‘Establishment of National Committee and National Sub-Committees’.
This rule outlines the following:
“Having served five days’ notice of a meeting for the purpose of removal of a National Officer, if in the opinion of 75% of the National Committee that any particular National Committee officer including national chairperson or national vice chairperson is failing to carry out his or her duties in the best interests of the organisation or is acting in any manner that brings the organisation into disrepute, or is acting in any way that prejudices the organisation, or is found to have a conflict of interest that can’t be neutralised, or acts in breach of the Rules of Governance or Code of Conduct, the National Committee shall remove that officer and arrange a General Meeting for the purpose of electing a new officer for that position.”
Further points of contention linked to this particular section of the Rules of Governance – which again was signed off on by all four directors of the company last month – include the following:
“The National Committee shall determine the date and venue of the National Annual General Meeting each year which shall be hold no later than February 8, 2020, in the first year of elections and shall be no later than December 1 in that year and in any subsequent year thereafter. At that meeting the outgoing members shall no longer have a vote unless they are the newly elected county or area representatives.”
Plus: “The National Committee shall determine the date and venue of any Extraordinary General Meeting that has been duly requested or seemed necessary to conduct the business of the organisation.”
And: “The National Committee shall appoint a sub committee to determine matters that constitute a Conflict of Interest of Conflict of Loyalty.”
Alongside: “The National Committee shall establish a Code of Conduct for members if necessary.”
Stay tuned to AgriLand for more on this developing story…