ABOUT The Association of Farm & Forestry Contractors of Ireland (FCI)
The Association of Farm & Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) is run by a small, hard-working National Executive Council of full-time contractors working together to provide guidance to the Association's Chief Executive Michael Moroney.
FCI Established in 2012, and each member of the National Executive Council has already been elected as a regional chairperson and/or regional secretary across eight regions or has been co-opted at an Annual General Meeting. The FCI has an annual general meeting each year and registered with the Irish Companies Office as a Limited by Guarantee Company.
The following are the current officers of FCI.
National Chairman
John Hughes, Kilkenny 086 253 5100
National Vice-Chairs
Martin Fleming, Galway 087 254 5904
Norman Egar, Kildare 086 258 0074
National Secretary
Richard White, Tipperary 086 174 2587
National Treasurer
Martin Hanley, Meath 086 253 5572
FCI Executive Council Members
Damien Brophy, Laois 087 223 6454
Peter Farrelly, Meath 087 260 2656
Martin Hanley, Meath 086 253 5572
Anne Hanrahan, Offaly 087 090 3880
Patrick Nolan, Kildare 085 151 5627
Shane Nolan, Clare 086 600 8139
Padraig Noonan, Cork 087 253 7510
Padraig O’Brien, Tipperary 087 252 7236
Ger O’Donoghue, Limerick 086 878 4959
Peter O'Reilly, Cavan 087 273 4338
Roger Perry, Kildare 087 257 2421
John Sheehy, Limerick 087 256 8246
June Smith, Laois 086 174 0457
Christopher Weldon, Meath 087 258 1387
Honorary Life President
John McCarthy, Cork 087 988 1163
Managing Director
Ann Gleeson Hanrahan 087 090 3880
Research Director
Michael Moroney 087 7551111
My name is John Hughes and I was re-elected
Chairman of FCI in September 2020 and re-elected for a second term at the recent Annual General Meeting held on September 10th, 2023.
Together with my brother Brendan, we run Hughes Brothers Agri Contracting from Dunville on the outskirts of Kilkenny City. Our family have been involved in farm
contracting since the 1940’s when my late father Kevin started a small farm contracting business.
Our main focus is on providing a tillage contracting service to our many client farmers in sowing and harvesting crops using the latest technology in a cost-effective way.
As rural-based Farm & Forestry Contractors we have the advantage of practical knowledge that cannot any longer be overlooked by decision makers. Through the FCI contacts in Europe as part of CEETTAR, we are seeing the role of the farm and forestry contractor being appreciated by policy makers. This new awareness demands constant representation and needs your ongoing support as an FCI member.
FCI can be a strong and united association of Farm & Forestry Contractors in the future. A strong FCI membership is vital to achieve results in our lobbying work at local, national and European level.
John Hughes, National Chair, FCI
Ann Gleeson Hanrahan, Managing Director of FCI
Timmy O' Brien, Founding Director
Timmy O Brien is from a small village in north Co Cork called Churchtown.
Timmy’s father started the contracting business in 1969 with a Massey 135 and a Claas Markant Baler. Timmy worked with his father for many years when he was younger.
In 1986 Timmy took over the contracting business from his father and started to expand. In 1989 Timmy bought his first round baler. He baled silage during the summer and went to Australia to work in construction in the winter time.
Since them he has advanced the business to what it is today. Timmys main business is baling, tillage, slurry spreading and other contracting work in the North Cork area. Timmy has 7 full time employees and 15 casual workers during the summer months.
More recently, Timmy developed Egmont Agri Machinery has a leading importer and distributor of farm machinery including brands such as Samasz, Metal-Fach, Agrex and Moreni.
Peter Farrelly, Founding Director
At the age of 6 Peter started rolling corn for local farmers.
Peter took over his father's Agri-Contracting business with his brother Patrick in 1975 and Farrelly Brothers was established.
They developed the business into different areas of Agri-Contracting: dung
spreading, hedge cutting, ploughing, tilling, sowing and combining. They built up a fleet of tractors and machinery along the way. They worked through the recession of the ‘80’s and had a very successful business.
In later years they expanded their portfolio and started contracting work on
the new roads around the country, they worked for the likes of Roadbridge,
Bamm, T.J Loughlin, Ward and Bourke, Coffey & Ascon, Gaslines, County Councils and many more.
Peter has been a member of Macra Na Feirme since 1979.
Peter has been a member of IAAC since 1983.
He has completed work in Poland, Shetland Islands and UK since June 2010.
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