Irish Farmers Association general secretary Pat Smith resigns
The general secretary of the Irish Farmers Association has resigned amid major discord about his alleged pay package.
Pat Smith has been under pressure to reveal his salary, amid some claims that he is paid around €400,000 a year.
The level of Mr Smith's pay had come under scrutiny after pressure by the IFA's former deputy president Derek Deane to reveal details of his pay.
However, the IFA executive had rejected calls to reveal the salary of Mr Smith - who took over as general secretary in 2009.
In his resignation statement Mr Smith said he was stepping down in the association's “best interests”.
“The IFA is bigger than any one person. I have decided to put the best interests of the Association to the fore,” read Pat Smith’s statement.
“It has been a great honour and privilege to work with IFA for the past 25 years. I want to wish IFA and the voluntary officers well and I would like to thank the dedicated staff for their loyalty and commitment during my time in IFA”.
