The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) will have an extra vacancy to be filled at its national and county elections next year, with a regional chairman set to step down early.
Tom Short is to step down early as IFA South Leinster regional chairman.
The former chairman of Wicklow IFA was elected unopposed for a second two-year term last December in the 2019 IFA elections.
His successor will be elected from the South Leinster region, which covers eight counties, namely: Carlow, Kilkenny; Laois; Offaly; Wexford; Wicklow; Dublin; and Kildare.
A candidate requires the nominations of three counties to contest the election; each candidate will need the nomination of their own county chair and two others.
That means there can only be two candidates. The process is yet to begin, so no nomination deadline is in place as of yet, AgriLand understands.
Postal ballots allowed for next year’s elections
Earlier this week, the IFA National Council 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.