Galway Bay fm newsroom – The Connacht IFA chair says anyone who failed to act on prior knowledge of controversial payments made to the former General Secretary will be out of the organisation.
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Irish Farmers’ Association president Eddie Downey receives a base salary of €147,000, but also gets directors’ fees which bring his annual salary closer to €200,000.
President Eddie Downey has said he wants to give the IFA the time and space to carry out the review. Mr Smith, the Tierworker native who lives in Dunshaughlin, resigned his position on Thursday.
It follows the stepping down of General Secretary Pat Smith after the revelation that he earned almost one million euro between 2013 and 2014.
The minister said the strength of the association had always been in its unity.
But in a subsequent statement, following an IFA council meeting on Friday, Mr Downey described the salary package as “not sustainable and unacceptable”. These figures are now under review and Lucey is due to report back within weeks.
The association’s deputy president Tim O’Leary will take over Downey’s responsibilities in the interim.
Tim O’Leary, is stepping into Downey’s role said the association is committed to ensure the pay scandal will never occur again.
He said farmers would now demand full transparency and had a right to know how their money would be spent.
“For my role as Deputy President of the IFA, I am paid €35,000”, Mr O’Leary added.
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Mr Downey confirmed that the executive council of the organisation had established a strengthened remuneration committee “in line with best corporate governance practice”.
