Eddie Downey resigns as IFA face multi-million euro legal pay battle

Irish Farmers Association president Eddie Downey has been forced to resign after it emerged that the growing financial scandal engulfing the powerful lobby group is now set for a multi-million euro legal battle.

Mr Downey stood down last night after a day-long IFA emergency meeting decided to take ex-secretary general Pat Smith to court in a bid to claw back a mammoth €4.7m severance deal agreed by Mr Downey just seven days ago.

In a statement less than an hour after 53 members of the organisation’s national executive council were told Mr Smith had been given a €2m severance payment and €2.7m pension when he left last week, Mr Downey said he could no longer stay in charge.