NEW IOFGA GENERAL MANAGER: ICSA'S GILLIAN WESTBROOK

Gillian Westbrook is the new general manager of the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, IOFGA. This position will mainly involve strategic planning, managing and organisation on behalf of IOFGA.

(Pic (c) IOFGA: Dr. Sinead Neiland,Ciaran Cuffe Grace Maher, Gillian Westbrook, and Gabriel Gilmartin (ICSA at Portumna organic week event 2010)

In particular, this will include policy and strategy implementation, certification management, communication, members services, and more general financial, office and people management.

Westbrook was previously executive research officer with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmer’s Association (ICSA), a role she took up in 2008.

The county Down native has also worked for Supermacs as their senior food safety manager, and in Herefordshire Trading Standards in the industry food sector.

While working for the ICSA, she was also on the Board of IOFGA. During that time, she spearheaded an organic food public procurement initiative with the Marine Institute in Galway.

Of the main farming organisations, the ICSA have always been the more amenable to organic farming. Indeed one its founder members, Pat Lalor, is one of the leading lights in the organic sector. His Teagasc organic demonstration farm walks are considered by many to be an opportunity to experience one of the best exemplars of organic farming in Ireland.

By comparison, the IFA and ICMSA are either indifferent or hostile towards organic. Occasional blips, such as the head of the Cavan IFA being an organic farmer occur, but this is rare.

Westbrook has been favourable towards organic or organic interests during her time with the ICSA. In 2010, she was part of an ICSA delegation to the (Genetic Modification) GM free regions Conference on Animal Feed Labelling in Brussels. The ICSA have also been the least favourable of the main farming organisations towards GM.

Indeed the 2010 consultation paper produced by the ICSA, “Consultation on the Socio-economic

Implications of the placing on the market of GMOs for cultivation,” stated the following:

“From a purely Irish perspective, ICSA does not support GMOs for cultivation. We are concerned that the cultivation of GMOs marks an irreversible decision, which has implications for our export markets, our green image as well as our green collar job strategy and our organic strategy. This is not a stand against science but quite the opposite; it is because we understand agri-science and the potential negative commercial implications of GM cultivation that we oppose the release of GMOs into our natural environment.

The consequence of Irish GM cultivation has far reaching economic and social effects; ICSA firmly believes the negative aspects outweigh the positive.”

The 2008 Climate Change submission by ICSA was largely positive about the benefits of organic farming in terms of soil fertility, partial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel use, though it did also state that “ even a significant increase in organic farming across the entire EU would have a limited effect and must be also balanced by the need to at least maintain food production in the interests of food security.”

There are significant challenges Westbrook and IOFGA will face. While the number of organic farmers continues to grow from a small base, the rate of increase is slowing down. CAP reform may work out well for organic farming, but the situation is still unclear. Recession is hitting all aspects of the economy, including organic food. Evidence from the UK, Ireland's biggest export market for organic food, is mixed.

Her background in beef and sheep should please the majority of IOFGA members, as livestock farmers makes up the vast majority of members of the organisation.

Interestingly, IOFGA now display quite a level of reverse gender discrimination in key positions: this includes 5/7 of its Board, its Development Officer, Magazine Editor, Certification Manager, Office Staff and now General Manager. Indeed all the speakers at their recent conference were female, apart from Junior Minister McEntee, who's gender IOFGA have no control over.

We will address some of these issues, as well as her vision for the organisation, in an upcoming interview.

climate change GM ICSA IOFGA

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