One of the co-founders of the Farmers’ Alliance, Helen O’Sullivan, has announced her resignation from the party.
O’Sullivan said she was resigning with “immediate effect” together with “other core members” of the Farmers’ Alliance.
According to the suckler farmer from west Cork, she now intends to run for election as an independent candidate.
In a statement she said her reasons for leaving the Farmers’ Alliance were down to “fundamental disagreements at management and organisational level”.
“As spokesperson and co-founder of Farmers Alliance for the past 1.5 years, I am saddened to announce my departure from the movement that I tirelessly worked to create.
“I wish to thank my supporters and hope that you will continue to support me in my bid to represent and serve you in local and national government,” O’Sullivan said.
Agriland has contacted the Farmers’ Alliance for comment on O’Sullivan’s departure from the party.
Farmers’ Alliance
Last month the Electoral Commission confirmed that its chief executive had “given notice of his intention to approve an application by the Farmers’ Alliance party to become a registered political party eligible to stand candidates in Ireland’s Dáil, local and European Parliament elections”.
According to the party it was co-founded as a Facebook group by Donegal sheep farmer, Liam McLaughlin, which it claims “quickly grew to over 20,000 members”.
It had previously stated that it was “interviewing candidates across the country to run in the upcoming local and EU elections and we intend to contest the national election whenever it is called”.
Meanwhile O’Sullivan has said that it was “very unfortunate” that she had to “step away” from the party that she had previously co-founded.
But she has confirmed that she now plans to run as an independent candidate for west Cork to promote issues “close to her heart” which will include “preserving Irish farms and food production infrastructure”.
O’Sullivan said she also wants to challenge “the EU’s bureaucratic overreach on how we farm and use Irish lands” and “participate in government”.