A limit of eight consecutive years, or 12 years in total, should be placed on IFA member terms on national council, the diversity committee has proposed in a new report to encourage succession.

The committee’s draft recommendations were presented to council on Tuesday this week. It suggests that a rule change should be made that would mean no person would be able to serve more than eight years consecutively or 12 years in total on national council as county chair, commodity chair, or any combination of both without progressing within the association.

Once elected to a position on the national officers committee, the only positions that a person would be eligible for afterwards are regional vice-president, national treasurer, deputy president or president.

Committees

The maximum service on committees would also be reduced from 18 to 12 years (not including chairmanship if elected).

The committee also recommends that county executives should work towards achieving a target of 20% of women on all national committees and that a Macra seat should be created on all national committees.

The draft report suggests that the structure of county executive meetings should be reviewed, with suggested changes including dividing them into three sections; reports, speakers and clinics with commodity representatives, and with every second meeting an “open” meeting on specific topics.

'Talent bank'

If passed a diversity project team would also be established for a period of six years to 2021 that would support the implementation of the report and develop a talent bank. This bank would be made up of “suitable women who are interested in holding positions within the association and/or are willing to put themselves forward as candidates for election”. The future leaders programme should also be expanded to identify women with leadership potential, the report says.

It is suggested that the director general of the IFA should join the 30% club, which is a group of chairs and chief executives working on better gender balance at all levels of their organisations through voluntary actions.

Read more

Father-to-son inheritance a barrier for women – survey

I wanted to be a nun, palaeontologist, designer, pilot, jockey, vet or farmer