Irish Farmers Association

What Irish Farmers Association does

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA), founded in 1955 and headquartered at the Irish Farm Centre in Dublin, is Ireland's largest farming representative organization, operating as a private, member-owned democratic association with 51–100 employees and a secondary office in Brussels. It represents farmers across all agricultural sectors — cattle, dairy, sheep, grain, forestry, potato, horticulture, pigs, poultry, liquid milk, and aquaculture — through a bottom-up democratic structure comprising branches, 29 County Executives, four Regional Chairs, six National Officers, and a National Council. The President (Francie Gorman) and Director General (Damian McDonald) lead the association, which is governed by proportional representation elections at branch level.

IFA generates revenue primarily through annual membership subscriptions, with an opt-out levy scheme extending funding to non-members, and family-member add-ons at €75/year. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on grassroots mobilization across counties and Brussels-based EU advocacy through COPA working groups. Core products and services span representation, policy advocacy, market reports (factory cattle prices, dairy, grain, potato, pig, vegetable, timber), price updates, the IFA App (iOS/Android), the Farm Schemes Explorer portal, a Milk Price Calculator, the IFA Solar rooftop installation program (via Bord Gáis Energy partnership targeting 12,000 installations over five years), the Farm Safety Hub, the Farmer Health Checks Programme, and the IFA Crime Prevention Office. Member benefits include affinity partnerships with FBD Insurance, legal advice, mental health resources, and sector-specific email newsletters. The technology stack is non-proprietary — primarily standard content delivery, web portals, and a GoodBarber-based mobile app — with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or proprietary data assets.

Name

Irish Farmers Association

Legal name

Irish Farmers Association

Website

https://ifa.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Irish Farmers Association is a 70-year-old Dublin-based democratic membership body that represents Irish farmers across all agricultural sectors, providing policy advocacy, market intelligence, member services, and Brussels-level EU representation through its County Executive network and dedicated partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Association Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Agricultural representation
• Farmer advocacy services
• Membership association
• Farm policy lobbying
• Rural development support

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: IFA generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions from farmers across Ireland. The organization also offers family member memberships at additional cost and maintains an opt-out levy scheme for non-members who wish to contribute to IFA funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Irish Farmers Association is a member-owned democratic organisation that represents and supports Irish farmers across all agricultural sectors through policy advocacy, lobbying at national and EU level, individual member advice, and a suite of digital tools and resources. Core member services include market intelligence (Market Reports, Price Updates, Timber Price Surveys), the Farm Schemes Explorer, the IFA mobile app, the Milk Price Calculator, farm safety and rural security support, and affinity benefits such as FBD personal accident cover and discounted insurance.

Product overview

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) operates as Ireland's largest farming representative organization, offering a platform-plus-services model rather than a single unified product. The core offering consists of membership representation services supplemented by digital tools and resources. Key products include the IFA App (mobile application for iOS/Android providing news and market updates), the Farm Schemes Explorer (online portal for agricultural support schemes), IFA Solar (rooftop solar installation program), and the Milk Price Calculator (dairy pricing analysis tool). The IFA provides market intelligence through Market Reports and Price Updates covering cattle, sheep, dairy, grain, potatoes, pigs, and timber. Additional services include the Farm Safety Hub (safety resources and training), Farmer Health Checks Programme (health screenings), IFA Crime Prevention Office (rural security support), National Council Reports (sector-specific reporting), and sector-specific email newsletters. These products and services are designed to support Irish farmers across all agricultural sectors with representation, market information, compliance tools, and member benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IFA Membership

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bord Gáis EnergycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024Three-year partnership between Bord Gáis Energy and IFA to support farmers in installing rooftop solar. The partnership aims to install 12,000 new solar installations over five years, with individual installations delivering average cost savings of €4,000–€6,000 over two to four years and potential savings of up to €200,000 over 30 years.
• Copa-CogecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFA represents Irish farmers in COPA, the umbrella group of European farmers' organisations, and actively participates in COPA working groups across the entire spectrum of commodities and non-commodity areas including beef, milk, cereals, sheep, pigs, veterinary questions, rural development, forestry, environment, trade and other areas.
• World Farmers' Organisation (WFO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFA maintains contact with the World Farmers' Organisation (WFO) at international level and attends WFO meetings, providing global networking and policy coordination for Irish agriculture.
• Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFA and UFU have expressed joint opposition to the proposed SLNCR Greenway project connecting Sligo to Enniskillen, citing issues of landowner rights and land impact. Both organizations oppose the use of compulsory purchase orders and legal vesting powers to override landowner consent.
• FBD InsurancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIFA members receive personal accident cover with FBD, €95 off FBD Insurance, and exclusive savings on transport, accommodation and health services through this affinity partnership.
• Macra na FeirmeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMacra na Feirme President participates as a non-voting observer member on IFA's National Council, providing a link between young farmers' organization and IFA's governance structure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NFU Scotland: NFU Scotland is the Scottish farming trade association, operating with a similar membership, lobbying, and sectoral representation model. It serves as a useful regional comparable for IFA's structure and revenue model.
• Ulster Farmers' Union: The UFU is Northern Ireland's largest farming representative body, with comparable democratic structure, county-level organization, and sectoral coverage. IFA and UFU even collaborate on cross-border issues such as the SLNCR Greenway opposition, making them the closest peer organization to IFA.
• Farmers' Union of Wales: The FUW represents Welsh farmers through a comparable county-branch structure, providing lobbying, member services, and sectoral coverage. Its business model and constituency overlap directly with IFA's.
• National Farmers' Union (NFU): The NFU is the UK-wide equivalent of IFA — a large membership-based farming trade association representing producers across sectors with lobbying, market information, and member services. It is the most structurally analogous organization to IFA outside of Ireland.

Broad incumbents

• World Farmers' Organisation: The WFO is the global umbrella body for national farming organizations, of which IFA is a member. It operates at international policy level and is thematically and structurally comparable.
• Copa-Cogeca: Copa-Cogeca is the umbrella European farmers and agri-cooperatives organization in which IFA participates. It is the higher-level body aggregating national farming unions like IFA for EU-level policy engagement.

Others

• Bord Bia (Irish Food Board): Bord Bia is the Irish state agency promoting Irish food and drink exports. It is referenced in IFA's leadership activities (Bord Bia chair review) and shares the Irish farmer stakeholder constituency, though its role is promotional rather than representational.
• Teagasc: Teagasc is the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, providing research, training, and advisory services to farmers. While not a membership organization, it is a key adjacent institution that overlaps with IFA's farmer-support mission in Ireland.

Regional players

• European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA): CEJA represents young farmers at EU level and is thematically adjacent to IFA's generational renewal concerns. It overlaps with IFA's interest in young farmer policy but operates pan-European rather than nationally.

Emerging players

• Macra na Feirme: Macra na Feirme is the Irish young farmers' representative body, with observer status on IFA's National Council. It targets a younger demographic and complements IFA, but with overlapping member constituencies and a more focused mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IFAmedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/IrishFarmersAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifafarmers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irish-farmers-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irish Farmers Association