The Agricultural Science Association (ASA) has today (Friday, September 5) announced that Dale Crammond will become its new president for the next year.

Crammond, a native of Avoca, Co. Wicklow, works with Ibec, Ireland’s largest lobby and business representative group.

He is currently the director of Meat Industry Ireland (MII), which represents the interests of the country’s primary meat processors.

Crammond graduated from University College Dublin in 2000 with a first class honours degree in agricultural science, specialising in Engineering Technology.

He also holds a Masters in environmental science from Trinity College Dublin.

Prior to his MII appointment in 2023, Crammond worked for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

He also spent four years with the Department of Foreign Affairs, working in the Irish Embassy in Washington DC from 2015 to 2019.

Founded in 1942, the ASA is Ireland’s professional body for graduates in agricultural, horticultural, forestry, environmental and food science.

Dale Crammond said it is a "great personal honour to step" into the role of ASA president having been engaged with both the association and the ASA Council for many years.

“I work in a fantastic industry, an industry that produces safe, nutritious, and high-quality food for consumers all over the globe, which was the central theme discussed at this year’s conference.

"I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders during the year ahead, and promoting the critical roles played by science and innovation in the development of our great sector," he said.

Outgoing ASA president Susan Maher wished Dale Crammond well for the coming year.

“To serve as ASA president has been the honour of my career, and I would like to thank my colleagues for the wonderful support they have provided me over the past 12 months.

“Dale, who will draw from both his family’s tillage background and his own deep well of industry expertise, will benefit from the same level of collegiality which so positively influenced my own term," she said.

William Minchin, the Carlow-born chief executive of the Agricultural Trust, will serve as ASA vice-president during 2025/2026.