Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, is hoping that this year's Leaving Cert results will help stem the decline in young people choosing agriculture as a career. Agriculture and horticulture courses have been included for the first time in the Central Applications Office system and the initial results have been encouraging.
Mr Paddy Browne, the recently appointed head of education in Teagasc, said 200 students applied for the new agricultural diploma course and of these, 75 chose it as their first preference. Applications for the horticultural diploma course were a little higher at 220 and of these, 80 chose it as their first preference.
For the first time, the nine new courses being offered by Teagasc with institutes of technology would be certified by the Higher Education Training and Award Council. The other courses offered by Teagasc would be certified by the Further Education, Training and Award Council, Mr Browne said.
"We are very pleased with the numbers seeking the courses, especially in a very difficult year when we had BSE and foot-and-mouth crises."
He said the £10 million made available to the authority by the Government to upgrade the facilities had helped considerably in developing the education sector. "We expect that by the beginning of the new term there will be well over 800 young people taking up agriculture as a career over all the courses which are being offered."
Over the past three years, two colleges have ceased offering agricultural courses - Mellows College, Athenry, which is to be the new organic centre, and Warrenstown, Co Meath. St Patrick's Agricultural College in Monaghan has closed.
The growth in the economy has drawn young rural people away from farming. There has been criticism of farm organisations for "talking down" the industry, complaining about the poor financial returns.