The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has nominated its deputy president as its representative on the Teagasc Authority.

The nomination of Brian Rushe as the latest appointment to the authority was confirmed by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.

Rushe, a Kildare-based dairy farmer, was elected as IFA deputy president in December, and formally took up that position at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) last week.

At a meeting of the Teagasc Authority today, Wednesday, February 5, the chairperson of Teagasc, Liam Herlihy, welcomed Rushe’s nomination and congratulated him.

“I look forward to working closely with Brian in the coming years, as Teagasc addresses the challenges facing the farming and food sectors,” Herlihy said.

Rushe is a former chairperson of IFA in counties Kildare and Wicklow. He is also a Nuffield scholar, where his study topic was: ‘Speaking up for Agriculture – Protecting Farming’s Social Licence’.

The IFA’s former representative on the authority Richard Kennedy (who was also the IFA’s deputy president) has stepped down after four years on the body.

Herlihy expressed his thanks to Kennedy for his involvement at the authority’s meetings over that time period, saying he “made an important contribution to the decision-making and deliberations of the Teagasc Authority”.

“I want to thank [Kennedy] for his commitment to Teagasc over many years,” Herlihy added.