Next Government must prioritise farm incomes, say farmers voting for new IFA president
The Irish Farmers Association is calling on the next Government to prioritise farm incomes.
The organisation's almost 76,000 members begin voting for a new president today to replace Eddie Downey, who resigned in the wake of a pay scandal last November.
The election will run until April 15, with three candidates - Henry Burns, Joe Healy and Flor McCarthy - all vying for the top job.
The final national count will place in the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday, April 19.
The ballot was sparked by controversy over pay deals at the organisation's executive, with a result due next month.
IFA returning officer Jer Bergin (pictured) said farmers could not continue to operate on their current earnings.
"The farm income crisis is the number one item on the agenda," he said.
"In the context of the formation of a new government - hopefully - over the next couple of weeks, I think it's very important that there are policies in place in the new programme for Government that start to address this issues, focusing on reversing the cuts in the last few years during the economic crisis."
