The announcement yesterday by IFA for its six-man Executive Board to allow a mid-term election this spring is not good enough for some grassroot members of IFA.
The move was enough for Limerick and North Galway to call off protesting outside IFA HQ today. However, at a number of IFA county meetings held last night, IFA ordinary members voiced their dissatisfaction with it and Co. Chairmen are travelling to the National Executive in Dublin today with mandates from their members for the Executive Board to resign.
At a meeting of the Co. Donegal Executive in Letterkenny last night, which was attended by around 100 people, there were unanimous calls for the National Board to resign.
Co. Chairman Michael Chance was also called upon to “make a stand” and to “walk out of the meeting if it doesn’t go in the right direction.”
He is set to either abstain or vote against a proposed change in IFA rules at a special meeting of the IFA National Council today.
Chance made the point that, in his view, to get the board out you would have to vote that they can stand for election again.
But this view prompted considerable reaction from several delegates.
Many farmers vented their frustration with calls to withhold the payment of mart and factory levies as well as calls of “out, out, out” in relation to the board.
Meanwhile, at a meeting in Waterford, there were calls for the Executive Board to resign and its Vice Chairman is travelling to Dublin today with that motion.
The Co. Chairman is unable to attend, but spoke to Agriland and said that farmers at the meeting in Waterford want the issue to move forward but do not want people associated with the previous regime in place.
“They are disappointed with the way it has turned out. There is a lot of sympathy for the former President and they feel he paid a big price.”