Laois farmer elected onto powerful lobby group in Europe
Laois farmer Declan Hanrahan who was elected as vice-chair of the Copa Cogeca working party on beef Photo: Copa Cogeca on X
A LAOIS farmer has been elected as one of the new vice-chairs of a powerful lobby group in Europe.
Declan Hanrahan, the current chair of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Livestock Committee is a beef farmer from Borris-in-Ossory and now the vice-chair of Copa Cogeca beef group.
He was elected vice-chair alongside Jerzy Wierzbicki from Poland, while a prominent figure in French agriculture, Dominique Fayel was reappointed as chair of the working party on beef.
Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations - General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the European Union (Copa-Cogeca) is a European umbrella organisation representing farmers and agricultural cooperatives, with a specific working party focused on beef.
It serves as the collective voice for farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU, advocating for policies that support sustainable, innovative and competitive agriculture, while ensuring food security.
The dedicated working party on beef addresses issues specific to the beef sector, including the challenges faced by European beef producers and has been been effective in shaping the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other related policies.
