A THIRD candidate has entered the race to replace Pádraig Walshe as president of the 85,000-strong Irish Farmers Association (IFA). Mr Walshe finishes his four-year term in January.
Richard Kennedy, the current chairman of the organisation’s dairy committee, from Clarina, Co Limerick, has declared his intention to contest the race for the top position.
Two other candidates have already declared their intention to run. They are John Bryan, a Co Kilkenny beef farmer, and Derek Deane, from Wicklow, who is deputy president of the organisation.
Although the Limerick man had been widely tipped as a contender from the outset, Mr Kennedy delayed his announcement for almost a month after Mr Deane and Mr Bryan declared.
The arrival of the Munster-based dairy farmer into the contest has made the outcome even more difficult to predict in what is shaping up to be a fascinating competition.
“The bottom line is that I am the dairy committee chairman and I did not want to compromise my work in that area by starting an election campaign any sooner than now,” said Mr Kennedy, explaining his delayed announcement.
“I realise I’m late into the ring but whoever wins this election should not be judged on when he came into the race but whether he is good enough for the job,” added Mr Kennedy, who is a former president of Macra na Feirme, the organisation for young farmers.
Until his declaration, the membership had been faced with a choice between two Leinster-based candidates who are involved in the drystock business.
Mr Kennedy’s candidacy from a Munster base and his high-profile involvement in the dairy industry mean the competition will be very hard fought.
The outcome will be decided by the votes of the IFA branches throughout the Republic and a PR system is in place, which makes the outcome very difficult to call even for insiders in the organisation.