The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) is a member organisation/industry association for farmers in Northern Ireland. The UFU was formed in 1918[1] and currently claims over 12,500 members.[2]
Contents |
Previous Presidents of the UFU included Basil Brooke, later the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, who served as UFU President between 1930 and 1931, as well as Rev. Robert Moore (1937-38, 1939-40 and 1941-42), Harry West (1955-56) and John Gilliland (2002-04), who was a cross-community candidate in the 2004 European Parliament election.[3] Graham Furey of Killyleagh is the current office-holder.[4]
The UFU has been involved in a number of campaigns for farmers' rights in Northern Ireland, including opposing moves to introduce compulsory purchases of farmland for industrial purposes[5], organising a protest over low produce prices[6] and campaigning for an exemption for beef export bans during the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy crises.[7]