| Full name | Irish Farmers' Association |
|---|---|
| Native name | Feirmeoirí Aontaithe na hÉireann |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Members | 85,000 |
| Country | Ireland |
| Key people | Padraig Walshe, President (2006-2010) John Bryan, President (2010-) Pat Smith General Secretary (2009-) Kevin Kinsella Livestock Director (1984-) |
| Office location | Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12, Ireland |
| Website | www.ifa.ie |
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is a national organisation to represent the interests of all sectors of farming in Ireland. It was founded in January 1955 as the National Farmers Association (NFA), aiming to lead Irish farmers out of the depression and deprivation which had dominated rural Ireland for decades.
The NFA merged in the 1960s with four smaller organisations representing specific sectors (including Leinster Milk Producers (now Fresh Milk Producers), beet growers and horticulture) to form the Irish Farmers Association – the IFA.
In the 1972 referendum on Irish membership of the European Economic Community, the IFA campaigned for a "yes" vote, seeking access to European markets and higher prices for agricultural produce.
The IFA's head office is at the Irish Farm Centre, in Bluebell, Dublin. It also maintains 12 regional offices and an office in Brussels.
| Year | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 1955-? | Juan Greene | County Kildare |
| 1961-1966 | Rickard Deasy | County Tipperary |
| 1967-? | T.J. Maher | County Tipperary |
| Paddy Lane | County Clare | |
| 1980-1984 | Donal Cashman | County Cork |
| 1984-1988 | Joe Rea | County Tipperary |
| 1988-1990 | Tom Clinton | County Meath |
| 1990-1994 | Alan Gillis | County Kildare |
| 1994-1998 | John Donnelly | County Galway |
| 1998-2002 | Tom Parlon | County Offaly |
| 2002-2006 | John Dillon | County Limerick |
| 2006-2010 | Padraig Walshe[1] | County Laois |
| 2010- | John Bryan[2] | County Kilkenny |