The Government's response to the growing difficulties of the farming sector, arising from Cap reforms, decoupling and increasing globalisation, has been halting. Even when Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan published details of an action plan for agriculture and agri-business yesterday, the document was missing an explicit funding component.
That element will be published in the National Development Plan, 2007-13, due to be unveiled in advance of a general election.
This is no way to do business. Clarity of intent and joined-up planning are necessary if agriculture and its related industries are to survive and develop. There is a great deal to do in terms of structural reform, innovation and research. But it has taken the Minister 15 months to produce an action plan based on an Agri Vision 2015 report drawn up by interested parties in 2004 and, even now, there appears to be no great sense of urgency.
The plan unveiled by Ms Coughlan recognises the need to consolidate farm holdings, free up the milk quota system and restructure the dairy and beef-processing industries. More importantly, it endorses the need for greater research and development in the food processing industry and through Teagasc, the farm advisory service. The requirement for all sectors to become more competitive is regarded as a "life or death issue". And the needs of consumers are finally being accorded priority attention.
This is no more than the blunt, practical advice offered years ago by former agricultural commissioner Franz Fischler, when he urged farmers and Irish business to forget about bulk production and intervention and to concentrate instead on high quality outputs, scientific research and the kind of added value foods being demanded by consumers. To be fair, a considerable amount of money has already been invested by the dairy industry in health-enhancing foods. And research is under way on new products. In the past week, Teagasc announced that a further €20 million will be spent on research, with a greater emphasis on functional foods.
There are gaps in the plan. While the need for afforestation is recognised, as a response to falling farm activity in the beef, sheep and dairy sectors, no specific planting targets have been set by the Government. The same holds true for the development of a biofuel industry. And the importance of agriculture in the provision of public and tourist amenities, such as rural landscapes, habitats, water quality and the environment appears to be taken for granted. Joined-up thinking between departments and Ministers will be required to change the bleak economic and social outlook for rural Ireland.