After 25 years at the helm of one of the country’s most influential lobbying groups, Michael Berkery has taken his leave from the IFA.
Having worked with eight IFA presidents, the Tipperary man will be remembered as the mastermind behind many successful campaigns.
Last year’s Brazilian beef ban was a long fight that was hard won and the same dogged determination also saw off the threat of Peter Mandleson’s proposed WTO reforms.
Berkery’s success was due in large part to his incredible political savvyness, which was sometimes unnoticed but was always effective.
His ability to communicate with Government officials and influence official thinking was second to none.
The former CEO’s single-mindedness came to the fore when he pushed for reform of the 85,000-strong farmer organisation in 2004. No one who was locked into that infamous national council meeting until 4am could question his willpower.
New CEO Pat Smith will have a baptism of fire with the most severe budget for decades. His first job will be to deal with the fallout from the massive tax hikes and cuts in Government spending that are predicted for April 7.
Agricultural income trends have changed dramatically, with tillage and dairy farmers taking massive hits in profitability. Yet, in some ways, little has changed since Berkery took office, as farm incomes are under threat.
However, the landscape around agriculture has changed spectacularly, with the wider economy now in unprecedented turmoil.
One of Smith’s biggest tests will be to maintain the IFA’s historically strong revenue streams.
He has already nurtured the IFA countryside membership as a method of boosting income but in the post-Celtic Tiger era, farmers will be more discerning about what they spend so the task of increasing membership will only get more difficult.
Being all things to all people, as Berkery was, is a tough challenge.
- Caitriona Murphy