Buttevant’s Coughlan in race for IFA nod

A North Cork farmer is hoping to land a top job with the Irish Farmers Association.

John Coughlan from Buttevant is entering into the final stages of his campaign for presidency of the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) this week.

The Cork man said that he has met with farmers the length and breadth of Ireland during his campaign to seek their support with voting for the next IFA president beginning on Monday 25 November. Coughlan, supported by his wife Ann, children Helena and Michael and a growing canvassing team, has gained momentum as he has highlighted key issues for Ireland’s agri-food sector and how he plans to address them. The dairy, beef and tillage farmer is the current IFA Munster Chair, and if elected, he will be the first IFA President from Cork in 40 years.

He said: “I have seen Ireland’s agri-food sector face many challenges but never has there been such significant threat to Irish farmers. We have experienced a 21 per cent reduction in farm incomes in the last year alone, a third of us earn below €8,000 a year and only five per cent of us are aged below 35.”

He added: “All the while, our food and drinks exports have grown by 64 per cent in the last nine years and reached a value of €13.5 billion to the Irish exchequer.

“Things have to change and if elected the next president of the IFA, I will do everything in my power to secure a future for farming in Ireland.

“I have the passion, the experience and the manifesto to restore viability to our beef sector, secure sustainable incomes for all Irish farmers and dispute all farmer bashing in the increasingly anti-farmer climate debate,” the experienced Buttevant farmer concluded.