Beef Plan Movement is ‘completely fine’ – O’Brien

KERRY Beef Plan Movement Chairperson Dermot O’Brien has insisted that the movement is “completely fine”, despite infighting between two factions at national level that has left observers baffled in 2020.

O’Brien was elected to retain his position as Chairperson of the Kerry branch at its AGM in Killarney on Friday night. But the spectre of national ongoings within the movement – which was set up to improve conditions for beef farmers – has overshadowed regional AGMs around Ireland. There are, effectively two separate groups claiming to be the movement’s national committee. Mr O’Brien is part of one faction, with the other including Joint Chairpersons Hugh Doyle and Eamon Corley.

The Kerry branch condemned a decision by Doyle and Corley last month to stand down the national committee, regional committees and sub-committees. It came on the back of “alleged serious disciplinary issues regarding some members of the National committee”.

But the stood-down National Committee said the Chairpersons did not have the power to take this decision. They have called for “a full, independent, external audit of Beef Plan’s accounts and membership numbers,” and last month passed a motion of no confidence in Doyle and Corley at an EGM.

The stood-down National Committee claimed to have temporarily suspended Corley for alleged breaches of rules of governance.

Doyle and Corley said the stood-down group had no authority to make such decisions, and described the group as “a

Committee posing as a Beef Plan committee”.

A notification, purportedly from the ‘opposition’ ‘National Committee elected under the Rules of Governance’, claimed O’Brien’s membership had been removed and was not eligible to stand for election in Kerry. He did stand and was duly elected.

Mr O’Brien, a Firies-based suckler farmer who has been acting as a spokesperson for the ‘stood-down’ committee, insisted that the movement is “completely fine” in spite of the seemingly chaotic national picture: “We are talking about a small group of people within a group of around 12,000 members,” he said of the opposing side.

“We are working hard for farmers, but there are forces at work trying to undermine us,” he claimed.

John Flaherty was elected as Vice-Chair; Michael B Foley is Secretary; Sarah McElligott is Assistant Secretary; Tim O’Sullivan is PRO; Kieran Galvin is Assistant PRO; Michael R Foley is Treasurer; and John O’Connor is Assistant Treasurer.

Photos by Michelle Cooper Galvin Dermot O’Brien, Chairman, addressing the Beef Plan Movement Kerry meeting with Michael Foley, Helen O’Sullivan and Michael Foley in the Killarney Heights Hotel on Friday.

Teresa O’Mahony, Bantry; Dermot O’Brien, Chairman; Helen O’Sullivan; Paddy Scully, Bantry; Tim O’Sullivan, Sneem; and David Murphy, Abbeyfeale.

Jerry Riordan, Killarney; John Flaherty, Castleisland and Michael Foley, Killorglin, at the Beef Plan Movement Kerry meeting in the Killarney Heights Hotel on Friday.