Search Results for 'IFA'

IFA president Joe Healy this week met with a number of aquaculture producers (fish and shellfish farmers) in Mayo. Aquaculture is a substantial industry in Mayo primarily located in Clew Bay and Achill. The latest figures from BIM, the Seafood Development Agency, show that 143 people are employed in the fish and shellfish farming industry in Mayo, and the local fish farming industry is worth in excess of €19 million. The county produces around 4,660 tonnes of high quality organic salmon, organic mussels, Pacific and native oysters.

It has never happened before that an IFA President was elected on the first count, but such was Joe Healy’s landslide victory that he exceeded the quota, taking more than 14,000 votes, a whopping 50 per cent of the electorate. It really was a stunning victory and it was obvious the Athenry dairy farmer’s message had resonated right across the country.

Mayo County Council has set up a new agricultural working group of 13 people to deal with agricultural issues in the county including, to provide a representative voice for farmers in Mayo in relation to national and European agricultural policy, to ensure that farmers are aware of opportunities to diversify in order to ensure viability in the future, and to review products produced by farmers in Mayo to ensure future viability.

The west has not been home to an IFA president since the 1990s when Abbey Duniry based John Donnolly was at the helm of the organisation, but the region has a big chance of producing a farm leader once again in Athenry man Joe Healy.

I cannot pass this week without referring to the farmers. Every news bulletin for the past number of days has the IFA either as its main item or featuring prominently.

With the controversy in the IFA showing no sign of abating, the Galway county chairman has called for cool heads to get the organisation out of its current choppy waters.

The 2015 FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition will come to a close on September 1 when the winner will be announced at a banquet in the Twin Trees Hotel in Ballina. This year, for the first time, a representative from each enterprise sector could go through from every county. Thirty-nine young farmers got through to the semi-finals and from these, six finalists will compete for the top titles. The 17th annual FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition is run by Macra na Feirme in partnership with the IFA.