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28 January 2015
A motion of no confidence in general secretary Pat Smith is proposed by IFA county chairs Derek Deane from Carlow, Tim Cullinan from Tipperary North, Pat Farrell from Kildare and Pat Hennessy from Laois, at the executive council held as part of the IFA AGM.
IFA president Eddie Downey counters the motion, expressing “strong confidence” in Smith. The executive council votes its confidence for Smith by 29 votes in favour, five against, and several abstentions. A final motion is adopted to state that confidence in the general secretary is unanimous.
4 November 2015
Some 10 months later, Derek Deane reads a letter to the IFA executive council, calling for the disclosure of the general secretary’s salary. Deane asserts 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 agrees 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
The IFA’s West Cork branch 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 will have to 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 would report to the next executive council meeting in December.
17 November 2015
Fianna Fáil’s agriculture spokesperson 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 RTÉ that the pay package for IFA general secretary Pat Smith was in fact higher than €450,000 in 2013, which he deems “unacceptable”.
19 November 2015
The IFA announces the resignation of Pat Smith. In an IFA statement, Smith says: “The IFA is bigger than any one person. I have decided to put the best interests of the association to the fore.”
20 November 2015
The IFA’s executive council holds an emergency meeting in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, at 2pm. The council holds a full debate on the future of the IFA and what needs to change. The council ratifies Bryan Barry as acting secretary general and chief executive of the association.
IFA president Eddie Downey receives a unanimous vote of confidence from the executive council in Portlaoise. That night, the Eyrecourt branch of Galway IFA forwards a motion calling for his resignation.
23 November 2015
The IFA’s executive board meets. It consists of president Eddie Downey, deputy president Tim O’Leary, treasurer Jer Bergin, the four regional vice-presidents – James McCarthy, James Murphy, Bert Stewart and Tom Turley – and the new acting secretary general Bryan Barry.
At 9pm, IFA deputy president Tim O’Leary announces that Eddie Downey is “stepping back” from his role as president. It is revealed that Downey received €147,000 for each year he served as president.
Con Lucey, the former chief economist of the IFA, accepts a request to carry out a review of the organisation’s remuneration.
25 November 2015
At a marathon 17-hour meeting of the executive council, it emerges that a €2m severance package was agreed with Pat Smith. Eddie Downey officially resigns as president.
Tim O’Leary steps in as acting president but the executive board comes under pressure from some quarters to resign.
O’Leary, in his first public statement, says that the IFA will use all legal avenues to challenge any severance package of the former general secretary Pat Smith.
It is also agreed at that council meeting that there is to be a presidential election, ratification of the review of the association by Con Lucey, and a challenge to any severance package for the former general secretary Pat Smith.
26 November 2015
Tim O'Leary claims that the severance package agreed between Smith and Downey was “unapproved”.
Pat Smith responds that the IFA must honour its commitments to him, but that the €1m lump sum payment – half the severance package – is to be donated to charity. IFA dismisses Smith's statement, describing it as “a total spin”.
29 November 2015
Donegal IFA county executive passes a motion of no confidence in the executive board.
1 December 2015
Sligo IFA calls for the executive board to resign. Kerry IFA passes a motion of no confidence in acting president Tim O’Leary. Roscommon IFA calls for the resignation of the executive board.
2 December 2015
In his first interview since resigning, Eddie Downey alleges he was "thrown under the bus" by his colleagues, who implied that he acted alone when he negotiated the €2m exit package with Pat Smith. Downey, however, refuses to name those who he alleges threw him "under the bus".
Ten county executives vote to let Con Lucey get on with his review of the organisation. IFA national treasurer Jer Bergin writes to all county executives seeking nominations for president with a closing date of 5.30pm on Wednesday 6 January 2016.
11 December 2015
The lawsuit "Smith v the Irish Farmers' Association" is lodged with the Irish Courts Service.
15 December 2015
At a 13-hour meeting of executive council, Con Lucey presents his report, which is accepted by the council. It details the remuneration package of Pat Smith, payments to presidents and recommends significant reforms.
Pat Smith received a basic salary of €295,000 in 2014, with a pension contribution of €150,000, bringing it to a total of €445,000.
Smith's 2013 total salary package was €535,000, consisting of €295,000 basic salary, a €150,000 pension contribution, €60,000 bonus and €30,000 in director's fee for his role in IFA Telecom.
A company car was included in both years.
Tim O’Leary steps down from his role of acting president because he is a declared candidate for the IFA presidency. Jer Bergin is unanimously endorsed as interim national chair to head the farm body.
30 December 2015
Four more county executives bring motions against the IFA’s executive board: Longford, Leitrim, Meath and Waterford.
4 January 2016
The executive council accepts proposals that the executive board will stand down but be eligible to stand for re-election in subsequent elections, which will be held by April. This will see the deputy president, treasurer and four regional vice-presidents leave their positions. It approves a rule change giving it flexibility on timing of election for the next president.
6 January 2016
Nominations close for presidency. Election to take place in April.
7 January 2016
Three presidential candidates emerge after the nominations close: Henry Burns, Joe Healy and Flor McCarthy. Derek Deane and Tim O’Leary both fall one nomination short of being ratified as candidates.
3 February 2016
Three deputy presidential candidates are named as Pat Farrell, Richard Kennedy and Nigel Reneghan.
9 February 2016
The first of a nationwide series of hustings takes place in Racket Hall, Roscrea, Co Tipperary.
18 February 2016
An exclusive Irish Farmers Journal Red C poll reveals that Joe Healy is the favourite to win the presidential election.
30 March 2016
The IFA election hustings draw to a close, with the final event at in the Tullamore Court Hotel.
5 April 2016
Branches around the country begin to convene to vote in the election and this continues over the coming days.
15 April 2016
Former general secretary Pat Smith launches a second High Court action against the IFA on 15 April.
21 April 2016
Joe Healy is elected the next president of the IFA after a landslide victory, winning 50.2% of the vote on the first count. Richard Kennedy is elected deputy president.
11 June 2016
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland show, IFA president Joe Healy says that recruitment of a new CEO is under way.
14 July 2016
Accountancy firm KPMG calls for applications for the position of director general with the IFA. There is no mention of a pay package in the advert.
17 November 2016
The CEO of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), Damian McDonald, is announced as the new director general of the IFA.
McDonald will take up the role on a salary of €185,350. No bonus is announced in the package.
2 November 2017
Almost a year on since McDonald’s pay package is announced, the dust is settled in the association.
Former IFA general secretary Pat Smith makes a return to the industry, at the Energy Now conference in Kilkenny, where he mans the stand of his new renewables company, Local Power, and speaks on social energy.
4 January 2018
It emerges that Pat Smith has become co-chair of a new industry association, the Micro-Renewable Energy Federation.
'IFA accepts that it made certain statements in the media at the time which were defamatory of Mr Smith and regrets the damage caused to his reputation.'
22 February 2018
Five days ahead of a planned High Court case, the IFA announces to its executive council that the association and Pat Smith have settled the deal out of court. The settlement is unanimously approved by the eight-member IFA executive board and director general Damian McDonald.
The IFA agrees to pay Smith €1.9m.
€1.55m of that figure relates to the severance Smith was pursuing from the IFA. He had originally agreed a package of €2m with then IFA president Eddie Downey.
The second action of defamation is settled for a figure of €350,000.
In a statement, the IFA says: “IFA accepts that Mr Smith was a highly effective, hardworking and dedicated executive of the association who provided solid and professional leadership for farmers and the association.
“IFA accepts that it made certain statements in the media at the time which were defamatory of Mr Smith and regrets the damage caused to his reputation.”
Pat Smith says he is very proud of the organisation he left behind and of his record of delivery for the IFA. The Meathman adds that it was “a great honour to work for Irish farmers and the agri industry”, and he wishes farm families and the sector every success for the future.
Exclusive: IFA-Smith settlement to cost €1.9m
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