Minister defends importance of agriculture to economy

SOME commentators, by ignorance or design, seem to want to continually downplay agriculture, Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan told the IFA’s AGM last night.

Apart from its social and cultural significance, she said the reality is that agriculture and agri-food is one of the largest indigenous sectors in the economy, with annual sales exceeding €18 billion.

Ms Coughlan said that the past decade has seen a transformation within the sector as the market focus has sharpened, particularly in beef and dairying.