IFA president hopeful John Bryan launched his campaign for the presidency in Cillin Hill in Kilkenny this weekend with some 1,500 present to witness his speech.
John Bryan and his wife Rena run an intensive suckler beef farm at Inistioge, Co Kilkenny.
Mr Bryan who was IFA National Livestock chairman from 2004 to 2008 and is currently Kilkenny IFA county chairman has committed to mount a vigourous campaign to reverse the cutbacks in farming implemented by the government over the past 10 months.
Speaking at the launch of his campaign in Kilkenny at the weekend, Mr Bryan said the cutbacks already implemented and those proposed by An Bord Snip Nua will cost the economy more than double the actual savings and will devastate rural Ireland.
He said that if he were to be elected IFA president he would turn up the heat substantially on the government, the meat factories, and the supermarkets.
“The Government has completely reneged on the last two partnership deals negotiated by the IFA and farmers will not take this betrayal lying down. The supermarkets are second only to the banks in the way they have ripped off the Irish economy,” he said.
He outlined his track record in negotiating and delivering real benefits for farmers and the agri-food sector. As chairman of the IFA National Livestock Committee, he played a crucial role in the decision to ban Brazilian beef imports into the EU. He was also centrally involved in negotiating the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme and in protecting live cattle exports through delivering radical changes in EU transport regulations.
“Farmers are undergoing a period of unprecedented difficulty. I am offering myself as a candidate for the position of IFA president because I believe I have the track record, the energy and the vision to provide strong and effective leadership,” he said.
Mr Bryan is married with two children, Cathy and James. He started his career as a Gárda, based in Dublin, before taking up full-time farming.
