IFA begins process of rebuilding trust as it predicts levy contributions to fall by 12%
The IFA is forecasting that the value of its annual voluntary levy from members will be down 12%, including refunds. The organisation has received 300 requests for refunds.
Levy contributions across all channels totalled over €4.7m to IFA in 2015, which could be down to around €4.1m for 2016 if its estimate of a 12% drop proves accurate.
The IFA says that it now has 75,501 fully paid-up members who are eligible to vote in its imminent elections for president and deputy president.
The IFA has another 4,000 members whose fees are overdue.
An active programme is underway to contact these people to request that they renew their membership. Countryside members, associate members, and other non-fully paid-up members make up a further 4,000.
IFA national chairman Jer Bergin said: “We remain committed to the work programme to re-build the trust of the membership; to continue the important day-to-day work of IFAin delivering on behalf of farmers; and to organise elections that will see a new leadership take over next month.”
The IFA reported that more than 96% of the 30,335 calls it has received since November have related to day-to-day farming issues, including SFP/Basic Payment; RDP farm schemes; GLAS; credit cases; FBD voucher and other benefits; branch AGM/election meetings and other day-to-day issues.
A total of 1,132 (3.7%) calls carried comments and complaints regarding the events in November.
IFA members who initially called to cancel, and then decided to retain their membership until their next renewal date, gave the following reasons: IFA representation on important issues affecting their income; €75 FBD insurance voucher; the right to vote in the presidential election; personal accident and legal liability insurance; other key benefits including mobile, telecom, and power.
The IFA resumed its normal correspondence on membership renewal in December and January, while its payments to executives was still the subject of extensive media coverage and public interest.
The IFA has about 200 levy collecting partners across all sectors.
It now plans to meet all of its levy partners to discuss the steps the organisation is taking to strengthen governance and transparency, to establish the financial impact on the levy since the events of November; and to identify means of rebuilding the collection rates.
