IFA President Joe Healy is almost two months into the top position in IFA and he has revealed that his ‘salary’ is yet to be determined.
Healy was speaking on RTE’s CountryWide this morning, which was live from Teagasc’s Farming and Country Life 1916 in Athenry.
“I’ve taken nothing from IFA as of yet. The Remuneration Committee and the Lucey Committee will deal with that.”
Healy does not sit on the Remuneration Committee and said ahead of the IFA election that the IFA President should not be setting his own or a CEO’s salary.
There was huge controversy last year surrounding the pay previous IFA Presidents had received and the pay of the General Secretary.
It was revealed that the former IFA President, Eddie Downey, received a total income of €188,970 from IFA, which included director’s fees and expenses from boards of organisations he sat on.
It was also revealed that former Presidents were paid in the region of €200,000, a fifth year’s salary, on exiting the role.
Healy had previously said that the only payment he wanted was for a farm manager for his farm.
The IFA President also said that the process in appointing a successor to former General Secretary Pat Smith for the IFA is underway and that the organisation met with recruitment agencies two weeks ago.
Hopefully IFA will have a new CEO by September, Healy said.
Smith resigned in November of last year following calls from grassroots members of IFA after rumours surfaced that he was receiving in excess of €400,000-a-year in remuneration.
It was later revealed that the former General Secretary’s salary for 2013 was €542,634 in total – including a basic salary of €295,000, a €145,194 pension contribution and a €55,000 bonus as well as a €35,000 sum from IFA telecom.