General secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA), Eddie Punch is set to leave the association in order to run in the upcoming European Elections.
Punch confirmed to Agriland that he will run as an independent candidate in the Ireland South constituency, stepping down from his role with ICSA after 25 years.
“I have experience in Brussels, that’s the key point; I know how it works; I’ve been going out there for 20 years+,” Punch said.
Eddie is also a Member of Council at the Irish Management Institute and is on the board of directors of Sixmilebridge Co-operative Mart.
European Elections
“In recent years, I’m watching how I feel frustrated that farmers aren’t getting better representation in Brussels,” Punch explained.
“That’s not to say I can do better, but there are some who actively don’t want to help farmers in Brussels.
“I just think there [are] five seats in this constituency and they all should be people who are actively defending Ireland’s interests in Brussels, with an ability and experience around the farm politics issues in particular,” he told Agriland.
Punch added: “Never before has the farming community needed strong, committed and knowledgeable representation more than now.
I have years of experience lobbying for farmers in Brussels and I have negotiated with every EU Farm Commissioner since Franz Fischler in 2003. Now I want to put that experience to use for the constituents of Ireland South.”
“This is not just about farmers; this is about all of the people whose lives and economic well-being is linked to the success of our agri-food sector,” he continued.
“This is about the choice of European consumers to have high quality nutrition delivered by the family farm model.
“This is about Ireland’s vital national interests of which our farming sector is a key component,” he said.
Other priorities
However, Punch has said that he is “not just a one-trick pony” only focused on farming interests.
“I believe passionately that our country needs to be successful in every county and that balanced regional development is more critical than ever before,” he continued.
“Instead of Dublin Airport expanding I want to see the right balance between Dublin and the regions and I want to see more access for Shannon, Cork and Farranfore airports.
“This is critical for tourism, for investment, for the development of the cities of Limerick, Cork and Waterford as a balance to Dublin which is becoming unliveable for many citizens due to housing costs and congestion.”
Punch said he is also very passionate about mental health and disability issues.
“I want to see the EU Disability Strategy 2021-2030 implemented and strengthened. I want to see the EU Parliament take the issue of helping people to live to their fullest potential as a key mission,” he said.
“I equally want to see the escalating problem of mental health put centre stage and I want all new policy initiatives and regulations to be seen against the prism of potential stress caused to people on the ground.
“I believe that the way forward must be for the EU to slow down and listen and respect the ordinary people on the ground and understand why they are so frustrated,” the independent candidate stressed.
The election candidate outlined that many policies coming from Europe such as the Nitrates Directive and Nature Restoration Law have farmers at breaking point.
Eddie Punch
Apart from working for ICSA and represented farmers in Brussels for a quarter of a century, 55-year-old Eddie Punch also worked in Botswana as a consultant to farm organisations and is currently a director of Sixmilebridge Co-operative Livestock Mart.
He is also a member of the Irish Management Institute Council. He has previously served as a member of the National Economic and Social Council.
In his ICSA role, he has represented farmers on many consultative committees of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Brexit Consultative Committees.
He has also been a regular speaker for the past few years at the Global Food Forum in Brussels and Milan, organised by Farm Europe.
Prior to ICSA, he worked in rural development with Laois LEADER and West Limerick Resources.
He was educated at Ard Scoil Ris secondary school in Limerick and is an honours graduate In European Studies (Economics and Politics) from the University of Limerick (UL) where he also served as postgraduate students’ union president, and acted as a tutorial assistant.
In recent years, he has obtained professional diplomas in Strategy and Innovation and Business Finance from the IMI (Irish Management Institute) and is now in the final stages of completing a masters in business via the Advanced Strategic Performance Programme (UCC/IMI).
He lives in Cratloe, Co Clare where he runs a suckler and beef farm. He is married with one son and three daughters.