BovINEBeef Innovation Network Europe
BovINEFormed in 1955, the IFA (Irish Farmers Association) is the largest representative body of Irish farmers at national, European and international level with a membership of 73,000 from all parts of the country. It represents Irish farmers across all sectors including beef, dairy, tillage, sheep, pigs, poultry, horticulture and other sectors. The mission of the IFA is to advance and protect the interests of its members, farmers and rural communities. The Association is about farmers, standing together and supporting each other through a dedicated voluntary officer structure supported with a professional staff. It is a democratic association, organised into 947 branches, 29 county executives, 16 national committees and a number of project teams. The democratic structure gives each member the opportunity to have a say in the development of IFA policy and priorities.
The Association’s 29 County Executives play a central role in the organisation, providing a link between national level and branch members on the ground in each county. County representatives at national level also have the important task of reporting back to their counties on IFA activities, national policy decisions and other developments. Each County Executive elects a Chairperson. The Chairperson is the key IFA leader and chief spokesperson in their county. The Chairman also represents the county on the IFA’s governing body, the National Council. The County Chairperson is supported by the other elected County officers. Monthly County Executives meetings are held in all counties where delegates and members discuss relevant issues and provide feedback to members. Each County Executive elects representatives to IFA’s National Committees, which are mainly based on sectors with some cross-cutting committee, e.g. Rural Development. National Committees have the crucial job of identifying important issues within their sector or area of responsibility, analysing and interpreting issues, and formulating policy and strategy to deal with the challenges facing farmers. Each National Committee elects a Chairperson who represents the Committee at National Council.
The IFA National Livestock Committee represents the interests of beef and livestock farmers. Angus Woods is the IFA National Livestock Chairman and is a cattle, sheep and tillage farmer from County Wicklow. He is supported by the National Livestock Director (Kevin Kinsella) a member of the professional staff in the organisation.
The National Council is the national governing body of the IFA, bringing together the County Chairpersons, National Committee Chairpersons and National Officers under the leadership of the President who chairs its meetings. The IFA President (currently Joe Healy) and Deputy President (currently Richard Kennedy) are elected through a national vote at branch level, in which all IFA members are entitled to vote. This gives IFA’s leaders a powerful democratic mandate. Voting in IFA’s national elections is by proportional representation (PR). The current Deputy President is a board member of Teagasc. The Director General Damian McDonald is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association.
The IFA represent Irish farmers on all national bodies such as Teagasc, Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board), Ornua, Irish Cattle Breeders Federation (ICBF), the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), and various Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine advisory groups. Furthermore, the IFA works closely with organisations such as Teagasc at local and national level organising joint meetings and conferences. Teagasc personnel are regularly keynote speakers at IFA meetings at local and national level and IFA members are large attendees at major Teagasc events. The IFA also works closely with the Irish Farmers Journal, which is purchased by our members every week and has a dedicated page in the publication given it is a vital link in disseminating policy and technical information to farmers.
At European level, the IFA has established close working relationships with other farm organisations, with bilateral agreements with some and more informal collaborations with others through membership of COPA COGECA, the umbrella body which represents European farmers and co-operatives. Internationally the IFA is a member of the World Farmers Organisation. The IFA has a permanent office in Brussels to ensure close contact with policymakers at the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the EU Council in policy areas related to agriculture, environment, trade and other areas.. Regular contact is maintained with senior European civil servants to ensure that Irish farmers’ interests are clearly understood, with formal and informal meetings held with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, other Commissioners and cabinet officials. In addition, the IFA is represented on the EU Civil Dialogue Group for Beef, of which Angus Woods is the current Chair.
The IFA will work with Teagasc to form a national beef network to identify Irish beef farmers’ priority needs, identify good practices, and facilitate knowledge exchange between farmers and academic experts in Ireland and between Irish and other European farmers trans-nationally. Thus it will operate across WP3-6. It will provide a lead support role in WP7 (Communications, Dissemination & Capacity Development) to ensure effective dissemination of research results to end-users and to communicate about the project at national and EU level to a range of stakeholders including farmers, industry and policy makers. It will be involved in WP2 (Network formation & Multi-Actor Approach) (providing insights as a producers’ association and also availing of training) to ensure an effective multi-actor approach within BovINE
Kevin Kinsella is the representative for the Irish Farmers Association and the Network Manager for the BovINE project in Ireland.
Email: kevin@agspace.ie
© BovINE, all rights reserved unless stated otherwise.
Please address all mail to:
FAO: Maeve Henchion
The BovINE Project
Teagasc Ashtown Food Research Centre
Dublin 15
D15 KN3K
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 rural
renaissance programme | Project No: 862590 under call H2020-RUR-2019-15