Francie Gorman has officially announced that he will be running in the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) presidential election to be held later this year.
The current IFA South Leinster Regional chair was proposed by his local Ballinakill branch at a meeting of the Laois IFA county executive last night (Tuesday, June 6).
The suckler beef and sheep farmer is the first person to declare their intention to run in the election to replace IFA president Tim Cullinan whose four-year term comes to an end this year.
Gorman, who is married to Kay, with whom he has a son, Tom, will now have to secure the backing of five more IFA county executives in order to get his name on the ballot paper.
The full-time farmer said that he probably would have declared his intention to run sooner if he had not broken his leg in December.
IFA
Gorman is a former secretary and chair of Laois IFA and previously sat on the IFA Farm Business Committee.
“I have great belief in IFA’s ability to influence things for farmers. I could see that from the day I joined IFA. I’ve been involved in the organisation for probably 25 years. I know how it works from top to bottom,” he told Agriland.
“I think anyone that knows me from my time involved in IFA, if there’s an issue there of concern to farmers, whether it’s beef price, fixed milk price, or rights of way, once it becomes an issue for farmers, you pick up the ball and you run with it straight away and you try and get delivery on it.
“I hope, if elected, to be a proactive president, be out there in front of things, particularly in policy and improve the lot of farmers,” the Laois man added.
“You have the power to influence the well-being of every farmer….as president of IFA, and it’s not a position to be taken lightly.”
“I think there’s a job of work there to be done to try and unify farmers, not just in IFA. There are divisions there; big versus small, east versus west, dairy versus beef versus other enterprises.
“If we’re not pulling together as farmers, we’re going to be walked over and I can see that, particularly in the environmental debate. And it’s not just farmers, I think everybody in rural Ireland needs to come together,” Gorman said.
“We have an industry that is well worth fighting for and we can’t have it economically undermined by climate change measures that are not going to save the planet.
“If food is not produced here, it will be produced somewhere else that’s doing more damage to the planet,” he added.
“If I’m elected, I’d be driving on for all farmers equally, no matter what they’re doing, I’d stand up for them. I’d stand up for any farmer if they are in bother the same as I’d stand up for myself,” Gorman said.
Election
Meanwhile, Martin Stapleton, the current IFA National Treasurer and National Returning Officer, is expected to declare that he will be running in the IFA presidential election too.
Stapleton is due to attend a meeting of the Limerick IFA county executive tonight.
IFA National Poultry committee chair Nigel Sweetnam said that he has been approached to run in the presidential contest. He told Agriland today (Wednesday, June 7) that he is still currently considering whether he will throw his hat in the ring.