Heavy is the head that wears the IFA crown

Nearly a year after Pat Smith left the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) in a hail of recrimination and legal threats, the organisation has still to find a replacement.

The IFA denies it is having difficulties finding a new boss but an 11-month interregnum at a time of crashing commodity prices and a possible Brexit-related meltdown suggests otherwise.

Normally the association’s chief executive is plucked from the existing executive ranks. However, the net may have been cast a little further this time around in an attempt to draw a line under recent controversies, effectively slowing the process.

The legal threat posed by Smith, who is suing his former employer over his withheld €2 million severance and for defamation, may also be deterring likely candidates from stepping into the breach.

The legal wrangle could prove a tricky obstacle to navigate. While the IFA naturally wishes to avoid a messy High Court scrap and another slew of embarrassing revelations, handing over money to Smith via an out-of-court settlement might not sit well with members and could prove equally divisive.

Shortlist of candidates

The association says it has compiled a shortlist of candidates for the top job, which now comes with the honorific, director general, and will commence an interview process before the end of the month.

Either way, it will be at least a year between Smith’s exit and a new boss taking over. That also begs the question, who has been making executive decisions on behalf of the association up to this point.

Those decisions include backing Eir’s bid for the National Broadband Plan last month right in the middle of the procurement process, which surprised even the Government.

The commercial terms of the deal were not revealed, something which hardly sits well with the IFA’s new era of transparency.

If Joe Healy’s election as president earlier this year is anything to go by, members want fresh blood at the top of the organisation and greater transparency around pay.

On a positive note, the next boss’s salary will be decided by an internal remuneration committee and published in the group’s annual report.