Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan has been re-elected as one of the vice-presidents of COPA, the representative body for farmers in EU member states.

The new presidency of the organisation - which operates alongside the body for EU agricultural co-operatives as Copa-Cogeca - was elected on Friday (September 23).

The presidency includes one president and six vice-presidents, with Cullinan designated the fourth vice-president.

French farmer Christiane Lambert was re-elected unanimously for another two-year term as president, the first time this has occurred in 15 years. Lambert is also the first woman to occupy the role.

She is concurrently the president of the FNSEA, the main farmer organisation in France, for which she is also the first female president.

Lambert works a 230-sow pig farm which includes 106ha of crops and a renewable energy enterprise (namely solar).

Commenting on her re-election, Lambert said: "With the experience of my first mandate, I am particularly aware of the challenges that will arise over the next two years.

"In this context, I intend to stay the course. EU agriculture has the capacity and the duty to pursue its sustainable growth model," she added.

Lambert continued: "During my first term, we succeeded in bringing food security back on the agenda. I will ensure this issue remains at the heart of European decisions and that farmers are sufficiently recognised and considered by decision-makers".

Apart from Cullinan, the other five vice-presidents (four of whom, like Cullinan, were re-elected for a second term) are: