Killala farmer elected Mayo IFA chairman

OFFICERS Newly elected officers of the Mayo County executive IFA at their AGM in Breaffy House Hotel, from left: Paddy McGing, Carnacon, PRO; Declan Shannon, Kiltimagh, Assistant Secretary; Martin Gilvarry, Killala, Chairman; Aidan Munnelly, Ardagh, Secretary; Michael Johnston, Knock, Vice Chairman, and SeΡn Clarke, Cooneal, Treasurer.

Ciara Galvin

THE new Mayo IFA chairman has said the national organisation needs to ‘rebuild’ and ‘move forward’ following recent controversy over the IFA’s former general secretary’s pay.
Mr Gilvarry told The Mayo News that the the farmers’ lobby would have to be ‘fully transparent in order to regain the trust that has been damaged’. “We need to rebuild from the grassroots, as farmers feel hurt and disappointed,” said the Killala farmer.
The IFA was thrown into the worst crisis of its 60-year history last year by revelations that its former general secretary Pat Smith received a salary package totalling nearly €1 million over two years.
Gilvarry has been the Mayo representative on the IFA National Dairy Committee for the last six years, and had held the position of vice-chairman for the last two years.
“My job as Mayo Chairman will be to represent farmers from local and county level and to bring their concerns to national level. I look forward to working closely with all the commodity chairpersons in Mayo who have been elected by our members. Working together we will endeavour to fully represent our members in Mayo for the next four years.”
The IFA members will elect a new president and deputy president in the coming weeks, and a new general secretary will also be appointed.
Gilvarry said it was an honour to be elected to represent the county and be a ‘voice for Mayo farmers at IFA national level’. The dairy farmer also said he was pleased to see a large turnout at the county AGM in Breaffy House Hotel earlier this month.
“It gives me great encouragement going forward to see such support and, in particular, to see so many young people in attendance. The youth are the future of the organisation and farming. My hope for the future is that all members would come out to their local meetings and support their representatives.”