The Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland has elected its new president.

At the annual general meeting (AGM) of the all-island guild ON Thursday, June 25, Northern Ireland-based journalist Tom Morrow was formally ratified as the all-island president.

He succeeds editor and journalist Matt O’Keeffe in the role, whose three-year term in office concluded.

Morrow graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1970 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture. He then enrolled in a PhD course in agricultural economics, obtaining his doctorate in 1974.

He got a job with Richardson’s Fertilisers, which was based in Belfast and which, at the time, was part-owned by Irish fertiliser company Gouldings.

After a number of years, Morrow joined Northern Ireland’s Milk Marketing Board, which was a statutory organisation in the North which purchased all the milk from Northern Ireland’s dairy farmers.

He worked in various roles in the Milk Marketing Board and eventually became production director, a role which covered the board’s direct dealings with farmers and the provision of agri-services.

Morrow entered the world of agricultural journalism in 2001, beginning with “light reporting”, gradually taking on more work as a journalist. He has maintained a career as a journalist ever since.

Morrow said that, while he does less reporting now at this stage of his life, he still writes regularly every week.

Commenting on his election as president of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, Morrow said: “I’m very happy, very honoured. Quite astounded actually to have got to this stage in my career, my rather long career, but very, very pleased to take up the position.”

Speaking about the role of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, he said: “I think we need to represent our members. We need to make sure they’re in the right place at the right time, dealing with the right people, to put agriculture front and foremost in the minds of politicians and people in positions of authority, people who have got some degree of control over agriculture and the agricultural sector.

“I look forward to representing the guild, the members, with those sorts of people.”

Reporting by Charles O’Donnell