IFA General Secretary Pat Smith Resigns
Pat Smith, general secretary of the IFA, has resigned following an executive board
meeting on Thursday 19 November.
Earlier this week Carlow IFA chairman, Derek Deane went public over concerns
regarding the remuneration of the IFA's General Secretary. He told RTE's Drivetime
radio programme that Smith's salary was higher than €450,000, which Deane deemed
“unacceptable”.
IFA president Eddie Downey said the resignation of Pat Smith as general
secretary/chief executive was very regrettable and a great loss to the association and
Irish farmers.
"In his various roles, he has developed the IFA into one of the most effective and
professional representative organisations in the country," said Downey. "As general
secretary, he has provided wise counsel to the leadership as they dealt with many
difficult issues, from a divisive CAP reform to securing nearly 50% co-financing for
the Rural Development Programme and tax measures in the last number of budgets.
His capacity to develop trusted relationships with political and industry leaders and
his negotiating and organisational ability has always delivered the best outcome for
our members."
Pat Smith has worked in the IFA for over 25 years.
“The IFA is bigger than any one person. I have decided to put the best interests of the
association to the fore," said Smith. "It has been a great honour and privilege to work
with IFA for the past 25 years. I want to wish IFA and the voluntary officers well and
I would like to thank the dedicated staff for their loyalty and commitment during my
time in IFA.”
Assistant general secretary Bryan Barry is to take over the role of acting general
secretary in the interim period and the Irish Farmers Journal understands that the
position is unlikely to be filled until after the IFA's AGM in January 2016.
An executive council meeting will take place tomorrow, Friday 20 November, in the
Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise at 2pm.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Odile Evans – 20/11/2015)
IFA General Secretary Pat Smith’s Resignation: How Did We Get Here?
Follow the timeline of events that led to the resignation of IFA general secretary and
chief executive Pat Smith on Thursday.
 August 2014
The Irish Farmers Journal reveals that Con Lucey has  stepped down from the IFA
audit committee.
 28 January 2015
During the executive council held on the side of the IFA AGM, county chairmen
Derek Deane from Carlow, Tim Cullinan from Tipperary North, Pat Farrell from
Kildare and Pat Hennessy from Laois propose a motion of no confidence in general
secretary Pat Smith. President Eddie Downey counters with a motion expressing
“strong confidence” in Smith. The council – the IFA’s parliament including
representatives from all counties and committees – votes its confidence for Smith by
29 votes in favour, five against and several abstentions, including Deane’s. A final
motion is adopted to state that confidence in the general secretary is unanimous.
 4 November 2015
Derek Deane reads a letter to the IFA executive council, calling for the disclosure of
the general secretary’s salary. Deane makes assertions that Smith received a €400,000
pay package in 2013 and says that he “cannot stand over this”. He references the
resignation of the entire Rehab board after it was revealed that the charity’s general
secretary was paid in the region of €400,000. The council instead agreed to set up a
revamped remuneration committee to set the pay of the IFA’s president and general
secretary.
 9 November 2015
Deane makes his letter available to the media.
 10 November 2015
West Cork IFA passes a motion calling  for the remuneration of the general
secretary to be made known to the executive council, soon followed by Cavan. The
motions mean the next council must discuss the issue of executive pay.
 16 November 2015
IFA president Eddie Downey writes to all members of the executive council to ask
that “the strengthened Remuneration Committee be accepted and get on with its
work”. According to him, it is “regrettable that any member of council would
deliberately try to circumvent the authority of our governing body”. Downey adds that
the remuneration committee will report to the next executive council meeting in
December.
 17 November 2015
Fianna Fáil’s Agriculture spokesman Éamon Ó Cuív publicly supports Derek Deane’s
calls to disclose the general secretary’s salary.
 18 November 2015
In an interview on the Drivetime radio programme Derek Deane tells RTE that the
pay package for the association's general secretary Pat Smith was in fact higher than
€450,000 in 2013, which he deems “unacceptable”.
19 November 2015
Pat Smith Resigns
Pat Smith: 25 Years At The IFA
The organisation’s general secretary resigned on Thursday amid a pay row. He had
been in the position since 2009 after a long career at the IFA.
From a farming family in Kilmainhamwood, Co Meath, GAA enthusiast Pat Smith
started his studies at Warrenstown Agricultural College and moved on to UCD, where
he obtained a degree in General Agriculture in 1983. He started his career as an
agricultural adviser in Scotland, then back in Ireland, and added a diploma in
accounting and finance to his qualifications.
He then joined the IFA as executive secretary of the farm business and environment
committees in 1989, becoming director of organisation the next year. He was in
charge of growing the IFA’s membership base and efficiency for the 19 years he held
that post, until his appointment as general secretary in 2009.
He is one of only four people to have held the top staff position at the IFA in the
organisation’s 60-year history. Smith succeed Michael Berkery as chief in the IFA.
Smith was elected by a panel which included president of the time Padraig Walshe
and deputy president Derek Deane. It was Deane who was, arguably, the catalyst of
Smith's resignation.
As general secretary, Smith embarked on visits to the US to lobby for the opening of
the American market to Irish beef.
He was also at the head of the IFA’s campaigning machine when the organisation
called for a Yes vote in the second Lisbon Treaty referendum.
The central years of his term as general secretary focused on the preparation of the
2014 CAP reform which included several large scale national and regional protests.
While he was appointed by IFA president Padraig Walshe, Pat Smith also served
under John Bryan and until this week, Eddie Downey.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Thomas Hubert – 20/11/2015)