Tipperary contractor elected to CEETTAR board

Richie White of Slievenamon Agri Services, Co. Tipperary, has been voted onto the new nine‑person board of CEETTAR, the European Confederation of Agricultural, Rural and Forestry Contractors.

White, who is the national secretary of the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI), has been involved with CEETTAR since 2013 when FCI first presented on the impact of the financial crash on Irish contractors. He was elected at CEETTAR’s annual general meeting in the Netherlands, held at the headquarters of CUMELA, the Dutch rural contractors’ association.

Established in 1961, CEETTAR operates in 14 European countries and represents around 150,000 companies and nearly 600,000 workers. The body lobbies EU politicians and institutions on behalf of land‑based contractors.

White highlighted that regulations affecting Irish contractors are often set in Brussels years before they take effect, and said his board membership gives Irish farm and forestry contractors a direct voice in Europe’s principal lobbying organisation for the sector.

FCI managing director Ann Gleeson Hanrahan praised the appointment as recognition of the association’s lobbying work and its efforts to maintain communication with key decision‑makers in Ireland.

Slievenamon Agri Services is approaching its 30th anniversary and now employs ten full‑time and three part‑time staff, building on a family business started by White’s late father, Pat.

Source: Agriland. Photo: Vladimir Srajber / Pexels.