MATT Dempsey, former chairman of the Irish National Stud, will contest the election for Seanad Éireann, which will take place by postal ballot from January 15th.

Dempsey has been nominated by the Royal Dublin Society [RDS] to contest for one of 11 Seanad seats on the Agricultural panel. All elected members of county councils, city corporations, Dáil Éireann and outgoing members of Seanad Éireann can vote. The ballot closes on January 30th.

Editor of the Irish Farmers Journal for 25 years, Dempsey retired as chairman of the Agricultural Trust last year. The Trust owns the Journal and it was Dempsey who masterminded the Trust’s acquisition of The Irish Field from The Irish Times in 2003.

A former chairman and president of the RDS, he also served as chairman of the Kildare Hunt from 2004 to 2009.

Leading breeder and racing administrator Dermot Cantillon, who himself made a bid for the Seanad in 2020 via the Agricultural Panel, said: “The Seanad was set up for people like Matt - independent thinkers with great experience and knowledge, who can advocate for their sector. As a former chairman of the Irish National Stud, Matt has great insight into the thoroughbred world and it would be an outstanding result for racing, should he be elected.”

Cantillon added that it is not easy for independents to get elected. “The political parties have hijacked the Seanad for their own members, who are on the way up or the way down in their careers. Only 800 people can vote under the current system. Recommendations made by Maurice Manning in 2018 to reform the Seanad electoral process and make it more democratic, should be implemented.”

Reflecting on his own election bid, Cantillon said: “You need about 50 votes and I got 33. A senior politician told me I would get one-third of the votes I was promised and he was right!”

Irish National Stud CEO Cathal Beale commented: “It is vital for the bloodstock sector to have strong representation in the Houses of the Oireachtas. We are a significant constituency of 30,000 employees, punching above our weight in contributing €35 to the Irish economy for every €1 invested through the Horse and Greyhound Fund. Matt is obviously deeply qualified to represent the interests of the agriculture sector and the bloodstock sector within that context. He has a thorough knowledge and interest in Irish horse racing and breeding and a deep enthusiasm for the entire equine sector.”

Launching his campaign, Dempsey said: “I am deeply honoured to have been nominated by the RDS to contest the upcoming Seanad elections.

“Seanad Eireann is an important part of our legislative framework. It provides opportunities to speak out on critical issues and have an input into laws and policies that affect people’s lives. These issues include rural as well as urban housing, the threats to foreign direct investment in a rapidly changing world and a loss of competitiveness if we don’t keep pace with scientific and technological developments.

“We must support our indigenous enterprise sectors and, of these, farming and food production is by far our biggest sector. It underpins massive exports and tens of thousands of jobs and widely distributed economic activity right across the country.”