The first in-person votes will be cast tonight (Monday, November 6) in the elections to decide who will be the next president and deputy president of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
The first 80 annual general meetings (AGMs) of the association’s 940 branches are scheduled to take place around the country tonight.
For the first time, IFA members will receive their ballot paper in the post. They can either return it by post or cast their ballot at their branch AGM.
Voting
The farm organisation is issuing voting packs to members in four batches, depending on the date of their local branch AGM.
These voting packs contain ballots papers for president and deputy president and a return envelope.
The first two batches of voting packs were issued over the past fortnight to coincide with branch AGMs taking place from November 6-19.
Another batch will be posted to members this week for AGMs due to be held from November 20-26, while the final batch will be sent to members next week ahead of AGMs from November 27-29.
Any members who have not received a voting pack ahead of their branch AGM is asked to contact their local IFA office.
IFA Returning Officer Brian Rushe urged members to attend their branch AGM and bring their ballot papers in the return envelope provided.
“While the postal option is there it is important for members to attend their local AGM and have their say on issues of concern to them,” he said.
IFA elections
Both the IFA president and deputy president are elected through a national vote at branch level, in which all IFA members are entitled to vote.
There are two candidates bidding to succeed Tim Cullinan as IFA president: Francie Gorman and Martin Stapleton.
Gorman, the current IFA South Leinster Regional chair, is a suckler beef and sheep farmer from Ballinakill in Co. Laois . He is married to Kay, with whom he has a son, Tom.
Stapleton is the current IFA National Treasurer and a dairy farmer from Oola, Co. Limerick. He is married to Siobhan and the couple has three teenage children.
There are also two candidates hoping to become the next IFA deputy president: Alice Doyle and Pat Murphy.
Doyle, who is from Co. Wexford, is the current IFA Farm Family Committee chair, while Murphy is the Connacht Regional chair and a dairy farmer from Co. Galway.
The election count will take place on Tuesday, December 12.