Ballot boxes have been opened and the count is underway for the 2019 Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) elections at the Castleknock Hotel, Dublin, this morning, Tuesday, December 17.

In total, 944 IFA branches nationwide are eligible to vote for the next IFA president and deputy president.

The count got underway shortly after 9:00am and a total of four positions in the organisation are being contested.

The positions being contested are:
  • IFA president;
  • IFA deputy president;
  • Munster regional chair;
  • Connacht regional chair.

Three candidates are running for the position of president. They are: Tim Cullinan; John Coughlan; and Angus Woods.

Following the opening of the first 37 of the 944 ballot boxes, the results were as follows:
  • John Coughlan: 266 first preference votes;
  • Tim Cullinan: 176 first preference votes;
  • Angus Woods: 282 first preference votes.

The big challenge in the election (carried out in a proportional representation style) is that all three candidates want to avoid being bottom of the pile on the first count.

The candidate who receives the lowest number of first-preference votes following the first count will be eliminated and their ‘Number 2’ votes will then be transferred to the remaining two candidates.

Meanwhile, the deputy presidential race is being contested by Thomas Cooney and Brian Rushe.

With 5% of the first preference votes in, Cooney had a total of 484 votes shortly followed by Rushe’s 382 first preference votes.

Stay tuned to AgriLand for further updates.