ICSA election results in two presidents

DEAL Election sees two candidates each serve as president for a year

A Lismacaffrey farmer is set to hold the ICSA's top post in 2024 after he and his electoral opponent received the same number of votes in the presidential election.

The two candidates for ICSA president Dermot Kelleher and Sean McNamara agreed to a power sharing agreement for the leadership of ICSA for the next two years following a tie at Wednesday night’s election.

In a move that echoes Micheal Martin and Leo Varadkar sharing the role of Taoiseach for equal duration, it was agreed that Dermot Kelleher would remain in situ as president for 2023 and Sean McNamara will take up the office of president for 2024.

Mr McNamara will also assume a position on ICSA management committee in the new year.

The two candidates agreed to work together in the best interest of farmers and the ICSA. Their first duty was to meet Minister McConalogue this morning (Thursday, December 15) with the Food Vision Strategy amongst the issues on the agenda.

Mr Kelleher hails from Inchigeela in West Cork, where he runs a suckler farm with his wife Mary. They have five adult children, two of whom are farming.

Sean McNamara is a sheep, suckler, and beef farmer, farming at Lismacaffrey, Co Westmeath. He is the current ICSA national Sheep chair.

He is married to Eleanor, and they have four children ranging in ages from 19 to 25 years old, three of whom are active in the farming business. He also has a cattle and sheep haulage business and is, along with his son, involved in buying stock for other farmer clients and they also have an involvement in the live export of sheep and cattle.