The National Council of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has voted to allow postal ballots for the election of officers at national and county level.
The association’s national treasurer and returning officer Martin Stapleton has responsibility for execution of all elections and election procedures in the IFA.
The deadline for branch AGMs has been extended by four months to July 2021, to allow branches the “maximum flexibility to hold their meetings into the spring and summer months”.
“Meetings in person are not possible under current public health restrictions, so we have to put alternative arrangements in place,” he added.
Stapleton explained: “Our ambition is to hold all elections for county representatives on national committees that fall due between now and Christmas. Already this year, both the chairman of the liquid milk committee Keith O’Boyle and the vice-chairman of the livestock committee Declan Hanrahan were elected by postal ballots,” he said.
He noted that these arrangements do not entail any permanent changes to the IFA’s rules and constitution.
To ensure the maximum levels of integrity and to facilitate as many members as possible to vote, the National Council decided that our elections at national and county executive level will go ahead by postal ballot.
“Elections are a critical part of IFA’s democratic structures and we will continue to hold them as they fall due. The restrictions could be with us for some time,” Stapleton concluded.