Irish contractor on new board of European Organisation for Agricultural, Rural and Forestry Contractors
Richie White of Slievenamon Agri Services in county Tipperary has been voted onto the new board of CEETTAR, the European Organisation of Agricultural, Rural and Forestry Contractors.
Established in 1961, CEETTAR is present in 14 different countries in Europe and represents about 150,000 companies and nearly 600,000 workers. CEETTAR aims to represent the interests of it’s members (land-based contractors in Europe) towards European Union politicians and towards EU bodies and associations that impact it’s sectors.
Richie White is the current national secretary of the Association of Farm & Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) and has been a member since it’s foundation. He has been involved with CEETTAR since 2013, when FCI were first invited to present on the issues facing contractors in Ireland as a result of the financial crash.
Last Thursday, Mr White was elected onto the new 9-person board of CEETTAR at the annual general meeting of CEETTAR, which was held in the Netherlands at the headquarters of CUMELA, the Dutch rural contractors’ association.
With Slievenamon Agri Services about to celebrate their 30th year in business, Mr White acknowledges that his contribution to the sector on a policy level, both nationally and internationally, is only possible thanks to his two younger brothers, John and Martin, and his late father, Pat, who operated a modest contracting operation in comparison to the 10 full-time and 3 part-time staff that his sons employ in Tipperary.
FCI National Secretary and CEETTAR Board Member Richie White said:
“The regulations that effect contractors in Ireland are made in Brussels about 5 years before they actually start effecting the contractors on the ground. To have an FCI representative on the board of CEETTAR is a significant step for Irish Farm and Forestry Contractors; we now have a direct voice to the most influential lobbying organisation in Europe for our sector.
"I will not take this huge responsibility to represent Irish contractors in Europe lightly.”
“I would like to thank my wife Bridget, and my two brothers who run Slievenamon Agri Services with me, John and Martin, and all of our 10 full-time and 3 part-time staff. Without their dedication and support, I would not be able to take the time away from the business,” he added.
On Mr White’s election to the role of board member, FCI Managing Director Ann Gleeson Hanrahan said:
“FCI as an organisation have worked very hard to forge meaningful lines of communication with key decision makers in Ireland related to our sectors.”
“The inclusion of an FCI member on the board of CEETTAR is an acknowledgement of the tireless lobbying efforts that FCI have carried out in recent years,” she added.
Comments