The appointment of Damian McDonald as director general of the IFA is an important one for the organisation and Irish farmers. He brings a wealth of leadership experience plus a deep understanding of agricultural politics to the job, much of it gleaned during his time as CEO of Macra na Feirme and more recently as chief executive of Horse Sport Ireland.
It is a demanding position – the hours are long, the brief challenging and the level of responsibility high. All of this is no doubt made easier by the huge honour it must be to lead an organisation with such a proud history of delivering for farmers.There will be no shortage of opportunities for the newly appointed director general to show the membership his capacity to deliver.
Brexit is an area where farmers have been let down at national and EU level. With Article 50 still months away from being triggered, already its impact on farm incomes, export business and tourism must put Brexit top of the political agenda.
The agri sector has been left totally exposed to the structural devaluation of sterling in the wake of the Brexit vote. Beef and mushroom farmers are already feeling severe financial pain, with several of the latter closing their doors.
It is naive to believe Brussels will of its own volition come forward with a targeted commitment to protect Irish food exports. This is despite the fact that the precedent for doing so already exists. When Russia banned food imports, support was secured by the Baltic states and Finland to alleviate the situation.
As Ireland is the country most immediately and directly hit by the Brexit decision, the outlook for Irish farming is hugely challenging if such a package is not secured.
Indeed, if forecasts of sterling-euro parity materialise in 2017, our beef sector will be severely hit, with long-term ramifications for our cheese exports. It will require a full diplomatic and Government campaign, starting immediately, if this support is to have any chance of being secured.
Ultimately, Brexit only serves to add further uncertainty to what was an already challenging agricultural landscape. As well as trying to guide Irish farming through the fallout from Brexit, the IFA’s policy position across the core issues must also be well formed. Again, there is no shortage of issues, including:
Collapse of farm incomes.CAP reform.Climate change.EU free-trade talks.Price volatility.With CAP reform now slowly creeping back on to the political agenda, so too is the overall CAP budget. In the wake of Brexit, it is likely to face further challenges. The farm lobby cannot be silent in the months ahead in building a strong case for it to be protected. Nor can it be silent on trade talks – talks that, as is stated below and as Thomas Hubert details here, have the potential to collapse Irish beef prices, albeit with the promise of an upswing in dairy.
Of course, McDonald will not be able to deliver single-handedly. A successful director general will require the support of both farmers and indeed his executive team.
The events of the past 12 months have damaged the IFA’s finances, in particular the farmer levy. While a great deal of effort has been invested in trying to find an alternative funding model to the levy system, there is clearly no silver bullet.
Ultimately dictates from head office were never going to rebuild the farmer levy. Farmer levies will only be rebuilt by farmers – farmers who believe the organisation they are funding has a transparent governance structure and is delivering on issues affecting their incomes and livelihoods. Thanks to Teddy Cashman, chair of Con Lucey’s committee, a lot of work has been done on governance issues. The director general must focus on getting the IFA back to delivering for farmers. It will then be the responsibility of the network of voluntary officers to show leadership and back the organisation in their respective counties.
While it will not happen overnight, the IFA has a strong balance sheet and therefore has time on its side. This time should be used to take a long-term approach to its funding model and not rush for a quick fix.
We have always maintained that the IFA is greater than its general secretary or indeed its president. Yesterday’s appointment is a stepping stone in rebuilding the IFA– but it will mean little unless Damian McDonald has the full support of the organisation. While the IFA can never go back to business as normal, the core of what the organisation stands for remains fit for purpose – strength, unity and delivery. An IFA focused on all three pillars will be key to guiding Irish farmers through the challenging times ahead. We wish Damian McDonald all the best in the role. He brings drive, work ethic, an understanding of farm politics and intelligence.
Listen to a discussion of Damian McDonald's appointment in our podcast below:
Listen to "IFA appoints director general" on Spreaker.
Read more
Listen: Damian McDonald appointed new IFA boss
Salaries at the very top of the IFA cut sharply
Top IFA salaries revealed
Who is the IFA's new boss?
Lucey reforms cut IFA presidential pay packet by 20%
One year on, IFA closes the circle
The appointment of Damian McDonald as director general of the IFA is an important one for the organisation and Irish farmers. He brings a wealth of leadership experience plus a deep understanding of agricultural politics to the job, much of it gleaned during his time as CEO of Macra na Feirme and more recently as chief executive of Horse Sport Ireland.
It is a demanding position – the hours are long, the brief challenging and the level of responsibility high. All of this is no doubt made easier by the huge honour it must be to lead an organisation with such a proud history of delivering for farmers.There will be no shortage of opportunities for the newly appointed director general to show the membership his capacity to deliver.
Brexit is an area where farmers have been let down at national and EU level. With Article 50 still months away from being triggered, already its impact on farm incomes, export business and tourism must put Brexit top of the political agenda.
The agri sector has been left totally exposed to the structural devaluation of sterling in the wake of the Brexit vote. Beef and mushroom farmers are already feeling severe financial pain, with several of the latter closing their doors.
It is naive to believe Brussels will of its own volition come forward with a targeted commitment to protect Irish food exports. This is despite the fact that the precedent for doing so already exists. When Russia banned food imports, support was secured by the Baltic states and Finland to alleviate the situation.
As Ireland is the country most immediately and directly hit by the Brexit decision, the outlook for Irish farming is hugely challenging if such a package is not secured.
Indeed, if forecasts of sterling-euro parity materialise in 2017, our beef sector will be severely hit, with long-term ramifications for our cheese exports. It will require a full diplomatic and Government campaign, starting immediately, if this support is to have any chance of being secured.
Ultimately, Brexit only serves to add further uncertainty to what was an already challenging agricultural landscape. As well as trying to guide Irish farming through the fallout from Brexit, the IFA’s policy position across the core issues must also be well formed. Again, there is no shortage of issues, including:
Collapse of farm incomes.CAP reform.Climate change.EU free-trade talks.Price volatility.With CAP reform now slowly creeping back on to the political agenda, so too is the overall CAP budget. In the wake of Brexit, it is likely to face further challenges. The farm lobby cannot be silent in the months ahead in building a strong case for it to be protected. Nor can it be silent on trade talks – talks that, as is stated below and as Thomas Hubert details here, have the potential to collapse Irish beef prices, albeit with the promise of an upswing in dairy.
Of course, McDonald will not be able to deliver single-handedly. A successful director general will require the support of both farmers and indeed his executive team.
The events of the past 12 months have damaged the IFA’s finances, in particular the farmer levy. While a great deal of effort has been invested in trying to find an alternative funding model to the levy system, there is clearly no silver bullet.
Ultimately dictates from head office were never going to rebuild the farmer levy. Farmer levies will only be rebuilt by farmers – farmers who believe the organisation they are funding has a transparent governance structure and is delivering on issues affecting their incomes and livelihoods. Thanks to Teddy Cashman, chair of Con Lucey’s committee, a lot of work has been done on governance issues. The director general must focus on getting the IFA back to delivering for farmers. It will then be the responsibility of the network of voluntary officers to show leadership and back the organisation in their respective counties.
While it will not happen overnight, the IFA has a strong balance sheet and therefore has time on its side. This time should be used to take a long-term approach to its funding model and not rush for a quick fix.
We have always maintained that the IFA is greater than its general secretary or indeed its president. Yesterday’s appointment is a stepping stone in rebuilding the IFA– but it will mean little unless Damian McDonald has the full support of the organisation. While the IFA can never go back to business as normal, the core of what the organisation stands for remains fit for purpose – strength, unity and delivery. An IFA focused on all three pillars will be key to guiding Irish farmers through the challenging times ahead. We wish Damian McDonald all the best in the role. He brings drive, work ethic, an understanding of farm politics and intelligence.
Listen to a discussion of Damian McDonald's appointment in our podcast below:
Listen to "IFA appoints director general" on Spreaker.
Read more
Listen: Damian McDonald appointed new IFA boss
Salaries at the very top of the IFA cut sharply
Top IFA salaries revealed
Who is the IFA's new boss?
Lucey reforms cut IFA presidential pay packet by 20%
One year on, IFA closes the circle
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