Elections to fill a number of key positions in the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) are set to take place next month.
The elections will take place on Friday, February 18. Due to the recent relaxing of Covid-19 public health guidelines, the ICSA is planning to hold the elections in person in Portlaoise, Co. Laois, the association said in a statement this morning (Tuesday, January 25).
The positions that are due to be filled within the ICSA are as follows:
- Vice president for Leinster;
- Beef Committee chairperson;
- Suckler Committee chairperson;
- National Treasurer;
- Honarary Secretary.
Nominations for these positions are now open, and candidates hoping to enter the various contests have until 5:00p.m next Monday (January 31) to declare their intention to run.
ICSA welcomes defeat of animal transport proposals
In other ICSA-related news, the association has welcomed the defeat of strict animal welfare proposals after votes in the European Parliament last week.
These proposals included: a ban on the transportation of unweaned animals under 35 days; limiting the journey time of weaned animals over 35 days to two hours; and a ban on the movement of pregnant animals in the third trimester.
As a result of the votes, two of these proposals were amended as follows: the ban on transport of unweaned animals was reduced to 28 days of age (with a provision that animals under this age could be transported less than 50km if the farmer was doing the transporting); and allowing the transport of pregnant animals in the last third of gestation for up to four hours.
Welcoming the results of these votes, ICSA president Dermot Kelleher said: “While the highest standards of animal welfare must always be maintained, the transport of animals is integral to the vast majority of livestock enterprises.”
“Not only were these proposals completely unworkable in a practical farming sense, they were also extremely detrimental to animal welfare. It is certainly a day when common sense has rightly prevailed,” Kelleher added.