The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Feirmeoirí Aontaithe na hÉireann'') is a national organisation to represent the interests of all sectors of farming in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

. The IFA is Ireland's largest farming representative organisation and has operated more than 60 years. The IFA represents Irish farmers at home and in Europe, lobbying and campaigning for improved conditions and incomes for farm families. It also provides representation, support and advice to members on an individual basis. IFA is a democratic association, organised in branches, county executive and national committees. The IFA's head office is at the Irish Farm Centre, in Bluebell,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. It also maintains 12 regional offices and an office in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

History

It was founded in January 1955 as the National Farmers Association (NFA), aiming to lead Irish farmers out of the depression and deprivation which had dominated rural Ireland for decades. The NFA merged in the 1960s with four smaller organisations representing specific sectors (including Leinster Milk Producers (now Fresh Milk Producers), beet growers and horticulture) to form the Irish Farmers Association – the IFA. In the 1972 referendum on Irish membership of the European Economic Community, the IFA campaigned for a "yes" vote, seeking access to European markets and higher prices for agricultural produce. The IFA denounced the

European Union–Mercosur Free Trade Agreement The European Union–Mercosur free trade agreement is a proposed free trade agreement on which the European Union and Mercosur reached agreement in principle in 2019. The planned deal was announced on 28 June at the 2019 G20 Osaka summit after t ...

as a "disgraceful and feeble sell-out".

Salary controversy

In November 2015 Eddie Downey (President) and Pat Smith (General Secretary) resigned following controversy over salaries. Smith's salary in 2013 had been €535,000. He resigned on 18 November. A week later members of the organisation's national executive council were informed that Smith had been given a €2m severance payment and €2.7m pension. Eddie Downey admitted he had signed off this agreement, and resigned. Downey was earning €147,000 a year plus €50,000 in add-ons when he resigned. The IFA confirmed that former IFA chief economist Con Lucey — who had attempted to raise concerns over financial issues and transparency before quitting under duress in 2014 — would oversee a review of salaries and expenses.

List of presidents

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.ifa.ie/ Organisations based in Dublin (city) Organizations established in 1955 Agricultural organisations based in Ireland Farmers' organizations 1955 establishments in Ireland Agrarianism in Ireland