At a meeting held in the Hotel Kilmore, Co. Cavan, this evening, Monday, September 30, Thomas Cooney officially launched his campaign to become deputy president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
In front of a home crowd, Cooney outlined his vision and ideas for the role if elected.
He told IFA members at the meeting: “As deputy president, I will work tirelessly to ensure that all issues impacting farmers will be addressed to ensure a viable future for the farmers the length and breadth of Ireland.
I am tired of farmer incomes being eroded. I am tired of farming being portrayed as part of the climate problem.
“We are producing some of the best food in the world yet prices are coming down, costs are going up and regulations are getting tougher. I want to change this for the farmers of Ireland,” he stressed.
“I have been a member of IFA since I started farming in 1994. I have been attending branch meetings and protests ever since.
I vividly remember being part of IFA’s Tractorcade in 2003 which was organised by the then president John Dillon. Hundreds of tractors left Cavan that day.
“Many of those people are here tonight also. We went to Dublin on many WTO [World Trade Organisation] protests and trying to minimise the effects of the recession on farming.
“I have no qualms about representing the farmers of Ireland. I’ve had face-to-face meetings with a range of Government ministers, the Taoiseach, senior civil servants and three EU Commissioners to do my best to make improvements for farm families.”
Reminding supporters of his experience, Cooney said: “With the support of Cavan IFA, in 2011 I was selected to represent the county on the National Environment Committee, going on in 2016 to become national chairman of that committee.
- End the duplication of tractor testing proposed by the RSA;
- Deliver waste tyre bring centres in Cootehill and across the country;
- To deliver the renewal of the nitrates derogation;
- To have hazardous waste collection put in place;
- To deliver the Smart Farming programme which has shown we can reduce our bills by at least €5,000.
“Now I am seeking a renewal of that support in my bid to represent farmers as IFA’s deputy president for farmers across Ireland.
I wouldn’t be able to run the campaign and the farm without the support I receive from my wife Olivia and daughters Ellen and Hannah.
Concluding, Cooney stressed: “I feel the experience and contacts I have gained over the last three and a half years will stand to me as we face the many challenges.”