Mr Patrick McLaughlin, Chief Operating Officer with Devenish, has been elected as the new President of the Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association (NIGTA) for 2023 following the Association’s Annual General Meeting which was held last week.
Having joined Devenish in 2012 as Chief Executive for Devenish UK and Ireland, Patrick subsequently took up the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2017 and also oversees the joint venture, Yem-Vit, in Turkey. He has a BSc in Psychology from University College Cardiff and is a qualified Industrial Engineer. Prior to Devenish, Patrick held senior commercial and supply chain roles with Westland Horticulture, Asda, M&S and Desmond and Sons.
Patrick thanked outgoing President, Mr Niall O’Donnell for all of his efforts over the previous two years and said that it was a great privilege to be elected President of NIGTA. Commenting after the meeting, Patrick said, “Despite the challenges of the past couple of years, NIGTA and the wider agri-food industry in Northern Ireland have demonstrated great resilience and drive. Looking ahead, continued collaboration between agri-food stakeholders and government departments will be key, particularly as we navigate the sustainability challenges of carbon and ammonia emissions.
“As a member of the Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group, NIGTA has been deeply involved in discussions around EU Exit and the Northern Ireland Protocol. We welcome the recently announced Windsor Framework as a step forward and are reassured that in striving to resolve the East-West trade issues, Northern Ireland’s access to the EU single market remains intact.”
Mr Gary McIntyre, Live Operations Manager with Moy Park, was installed as Vice President for 2023-2024 with Kieran Shields from Tullyherron Farm Feeds and Mary Preston of Moy Park both elected to serve on the Executive Committee.
Outgoing President, Mr Niall O’Donnell, reflected on the activities of the Association over the past year, which had been dominated by the volatility caused by the war in Ukraine, sustainability, and the ongoing discussions around the Northern Ireland Protocol. NIGTA positively engaged with stakeholders to bring understanding and influence on these issues, and he commended the individual efforts of Declan Billington in representing NIGTA with Brexit related matters, Lorraine Colgan and Mary Preston for their work on the Scientific Committee, Amanda Orr for representing NIGTA on the UFAS Working Group and Jim Uprichard for convening the new NIGTA Sustainability Committee alongside his work on the industry driven Carbon Technical Working Group.
Following the AGM, NIGTA hosted its quarterly lunch for members and was delighted to have the pleasure of Dr Esther Skelly-Smith, newly elected as joint BVA Northern Ireland Branch and North of Ireland Veterinary Association President, as the guest speaker. Dr Skelly-Smith highlighted the importance of the One Health agenda and the need to focus on animal welfare as well as health. She reiterated the benefits of collaboration and the valuable links between the animal nutrition and veterinary sectors.
NIGTA AGM 2023
