Eddie Downey’s salary from the IFA came as a “shock” to IFA regional chairman for Ulster / North Leinster Bert Stewart.
Donegal Irish Farmers Association chairman Michael Chance
IFA regional chairman for Ulster/North Leinster, Bert Stewart, has said the salary of former IFA president Eddie Downey came as a shock to him. Stewart said he learned of Downey’s €147,000/annum salary six months ago.
“I was always of the opinion that the position of president (with the IFA) was a voluntary one, that there was no salary as such. It was about six months ago that I learned that the president was taking a salary and it came as news to me,” Stewart said.
Stewart added that he learned that deputy president Tim O’Leary was earning a salary “a few weeks ago”.
Expenses
Stewart, who also serves as IFA’s Animal Health chairman, said his expenses range between €3,000 and €5,000 per annum. This is made up of an average mileages rate of 50c per mile, €100 for every 10 hours spent away from his own farm to pay for someone to cover his duties and €50 for food if he is away longer than 12 hours from his farm.
Stewart was addressing an emergency meeting of Donegal IFA on Saturday night where a motion of no confidence in the executive board of the IFA was passed. Stewart sits on the executive board.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Patrick Donohoe – 30/11/2015)
IFA regional chairman for Ulster-North Leinster, Bert Stewart
Donegal IFA Passes Motion Of No Confidence In Executive Board
The Donegal county executive of the IFA has passed a motion of no confidence in the IFA’s executive board.
At an emergency meeting of the Donegal IFA on Saturday night in Letterkenny, there was almost full support for a motion of no confidence passed in the IFA’s executive board. The executive board is currently made up of deputy president Tim O’Leary, Regional Presidents Bert Stewart, Tom Turley, James Murphy and James McCarthy as well as treasurer Jer Bergin.
Following the resignation of former IFA president Eddie Downey last week, O’Leary has taken over as acting president. The motion now goes forward to the executive council for debating on 15 December. West Cork IFA passed a motion of no confidence in the executive board last week as did the Sligo branch.
Bert Stewart spoke at the meeting and delivered an emotional appeal to allow the executive board to stay in situ until Con Lucey finishes his review of the association. A motion of no confidence in the Donegal IFA executive was proposed and seconded from the floor but was comfortably defeated.
The Donegal IFA meeting in Letterkenny on Saturday night (28-11-2015)
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Patrick Donohoe – 29/11/2015)
Sligo County Calls For IFA Executive Board To Step Down
Sligo county executives are the latest to call for the resignation of the IFA board following a unanimous motion of no confidence in them last night.
A meeting of the Sligo county executive of the IFA on Thursday night called on the organisation’s executive board to resign. JP Cowley, IFA county chair for Sligo, confirmed the news to the Irish Farmers Journal this morning.
IFA Sligo chairman JP Cowley.
A group of approximately 80 IFA members representing Sligo met at the Radisson Blu hotel in Sligo last night with all of them calling for the resignation of the rest of the executive board, which includes acting president Tim O’Leary, the four regional chairmen, James McCarthy (Munster), James Murphy (south Leinster), Bert Stewart (Ulster/north Leinster), Tom Turley (Connacht), and national treasurer Jer Bergin.
On Wednesday 25 November IFA president Eddie Downey resigned following details emerging of former general secretary Pat Smith’s €2m severance package at an emergency meeting in the Irish Farm Centre. Smith was “fired” when his salary for 2013 and 2014 was revealed as €535,000 and over €400,000 respectively. After the uproar caused by his salary and severance package and Downey’s resignation, Smith asked for part of his exit sum to be donated to charity by the IFA.
Cowley said the vote on Thursday was unanimous and represents the anger that still exists on the ground. “You can hear it in the mart, you can hear it wherever you go,” he said. “Farmers are not happy with the news that has come out of the organisation over the last few days.”
Sligo is the latest county executive to call for the resignation of the entire board. West Cork, Galway and Mayo also passed motions of no confidence in the board this week. More county executive meetings are due to be held, with a Donegal meeting scheduled for Monday night and Leitrim due to meet on Tuesday.
Reaction of Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney
Speaking to RTÉ’s News At One, Coveney said farmers are “understandably furious” and that he had no idea of the scale of Mr Smith’s salary and that he learned about it in the media. The minister said the IFA has “massive challenges to overcome”.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Amy Nora Fitzgibbon – 30/11/2015)
Kerry IFA Passes Motion Of No Confidence In Tim O’Leary
At a meeting of Kerry IFA county executive on Monday night (30/11/2015), a motion of no confidence was passed in only one member of the executive board, acting and deputy President Tim O’Leary.
Sean Brosnan, Kerry chairman (right) pictured at a IFA Munster Officers meeting with Patrick O’ Connor, Killarney PIC DOL
IFA county chair for Kerry, Sean Brosnan, confirmed the news to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday morning.
He said a motion of no confidence was passed in acting and deputy president Tim O’Leary, who is one of six members of the current executive board. The rest of the members are regional chairmen Bert Stewart, Tom Turley, James Murphy and James McCarthy and treasurer Jer Bergin.
It is believed that the entire board was not subject to a motion of no confidence as regional chairman for Munster James McCarthy is a native of Co Kerry.
Roscommon, Donegal, Sligo and west Cork have all voted no confidence in the entire executive board, while Galway IFA met last week and called for all the people who were cc’d on a letter written by Con Lucey outlining concerns he regarding the running of the association’s audit committee to resign. Those people are Eddie Downey, Pat Smith, Jer Bergin, Tim O’Leary, former treasurer JJ Kavanagh and IFA financial controller Ken Heade. Mayo IFA voted last week for a similar motion.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Amy Nora Fitzgibbon – 01/12/2015)
Roscommon IFA calls for resignation of executive board
The Roscommon branch of the Irish Farmers Association has called for the resignation of the entire executive board.
Roscommon joins counties Donegal, Sligo and west Cork in voting no confidence in the executive board. The meeting took place on Friday last and Roscommon county chairman John Hanley told the Irish Farmers Journal that there was “considerable tension” at the meeting.
Co Roscommon. John Hanley, chairman, Roscommon IFA, pictured with newly elected TD Michael Fitzmaurice at the 2014 IFA beef protests. Photo Brian Farrell
“The meeting was hot, it was very hot. There was considerable tension from the floor towards the top people in the association. There was a lot of anger but we’re all very angry as to what is happening here,” Hanley said.
Meetings of Offaly, Kerry and Meath IFA took place on Monday night. No motion in relation to the executive board was passed at the Offaly meeting, but motions of no confidence are understood to have been passed at the meetings in Kerry and Meath. Further details on the outcomes of these two meetings are to follow on farmersjournal.ie.
The executive board is currently made up of deputy president Tim O’Leary, regional presidents Bert Stewart, Tom Turley, James Murphy and James McCarthy as well as treasurer Jer Bergin.
Galway IFA met last week and called for all the people who were cc’d on a letter written by Con Lucey outlining concerns he regarding the running of the association’s audit committee to resign. Those people are Eddie Downey, Pat Smith, Jer Bergin, Tim O’Leary, former treasurer JJ Kavanagh and IFA financial controller Ken Heade. Mayo IFA voted last week for a similar motion.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Patrick Donohoe – 01/12/2015)
The IFA Situation A Battle In A Bigger War