Opt in or opt out: mixed farmer reaction to IFA levy controversy

Co Offaly suckler farmer Fintan Maher said he would opt in to continue paying the levy. “I had cases before when batches went against bad grades, and IFA turned them over for me.”

“It gives you a better power when you have the IFA behind you.”

Also in the midlands, another suckler farmer, Kenneth Gill, also wants to keep paying the levy. “As long as the opt-in is relatively easy option, I think the vast majority will still agree with it,” he said. “When you see the turnout at annual general meetings and stuff, guys still like to support the IFA.”

But another suckler farmer in the area, John Dunne, said: "I think a lot of farmers will opt out. They will why away from paying this money." In John's opinion, the IFA will have to "learn from this experience and become a leaner machine in the future".

Listen to Fintan, Kenneth and John’s comments in our podcast below:

Andrew Kelly, who shares his time between the family dairy and tillage farm, relief milking and agricultural contracting near Portlaoise, said the issue of levy was in farmers’ minds since the pay scandal of last November.

I’m contributing to an organisation that is not doing enough on the ground

“These headlines will make farmers think twice,” he said, especially in the current context of low prices for milk, grain and beef. After attending a recent IFA county meeting, he said “there are people crying out for action”. Although he is involved in a levy-funded organisation himself as president of his local Macra club, Andrew expects the latest levy controversy to make many farmers think: “I’m contributing to an organisation that is not doing enough on the ground.”

In an online poll of Irish Farmers Journal readers, more than two thirds said they would not pay levies if asked to opt in.

Those farmers opposed to paying levies have been most vocal on social media, with Julie Killen McCourt from Moville, Co Donegal commenting on our Facebook page that the IFA has “gradually grown to become facilitators of big business exploiting farmers”.

As for Cork central IFA chairman Harold Kingston, he publicly rejected ABP’s offer to register to pay the levy in application of the association’s decision to stop collecting funds through ABP altogether.

This letter will be shredded for calf bedding. ABP no longer allowed collect @IFAmedia levy pic.twitter.com/7wrSKLR1F3
— Harold Kingston (@HaroldKingston1) August 18, 2016