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.

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 also passed a motion 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.

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.

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".

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