The IFA is heading to the Mansion House in Dublin for its AGM. The AGM will be held next Thursday 27 January.

The Dealer assumes the reason behind the venue change from the Farm Centre is due to social distancing rules.

The AGM will see a raft of new committee chairs take their places. Eight new chairs were elected last week: Leitrim’s Kevin Comiskey is the new sheep chair, Kerry’s Jason Fleming is the new forestry chair and Laois farmer Kevin McEvoy is the new grain chair.

There’s also a new farm family chair, Wexford’s Alice Doyle, and a new animal health chair in Tipperary’s TJ Maher.

Connemara’s Cáillin Conneelly is the new hill chair, Cork’s Nigel Sweetman is the new poultry chair and Wexford’s Seán Ryan is in charge of the potato committee.

Meanwhile, I hear the director general’s five-yearcontract is officially up this month, with the IFA not commenting on whether Damian McDonald has signed on the dotted line for a further term.