The President of the IFA, Joe Healy, has paid tribute to Enda Kenny following his announcement that he intends to retire as the leader of Fine Gael.

Kenny declared that he will retire as leader of Fine Gael, effective from midnight tonight, May 17, in a statement released earlier today.

Last year, he had indicated that he would not lead the Fine Gael party into the next general election.

“I will continue to carry out my duties as party leader in an acting capacity, until my successor is elected through the Fine Gael leadership election process.

“I have asked that the Fine Gael Executive Council expedite this process and to have it concluded by close of business on Friday, June 2.

I want to assure people that throughout this internal process, I will continue to carry out my duties and responsibilities as Taoiseach in full.

According to the IFA President, the outgoing leader of Fine Gael has given a huge service to the state as Taoiseach and in the various other roles he held in public life.

“Enda Kenny displayed a strong commitment to agriculture and Irish farmers throughout his political career, and especially during his time as Taoiseach.

“Kenny’s standing in Europe and relationships with political leaders across the EU were very important when Ireland held the EU presidency in 2013, a time that coincided with the last CAP reform.

As Taoiseach he understood the importance of farming and the agriculture sector to the country.

“Despite the huge demands on his time he was always accessible and willing to listen to the concerns of farmers. Enda Kenny’s strong support for agriculture was evident in the taxation measures and funding of farm schemes implemented in recent budgets,” Healy said.