Walsh criticises ‘the continuous drone’ of some farm leaders
He said it was bad for the industry, for morale and for young people looking at career options.
It was also bad for Teagasc courses and for agricultural colleges, he told reporters at the Agricultural Science Association annual conference in Kilkenny.
Mr Walsh said the trend a few years ago was to move away from jobs in the civil service and farming and into IT.
“But now people are getting back under the shelter of more traditional jobs in the public service and in farming,” he said.
Mr Walsh said he knew of no other occupation or profession whose leaders have a more or less continually negative attitude towards their own profession.
Rejecting the claims, IFA president John Dillon said farm leaders are merely reflecting the reaction of farmers on the ground who are trying to sustain their income.
ICMSA president Pat O’Rourke said less preaching and more delivery was needed from the minister.
Mr Walsh earlier told the conference that it is no secret at this stage that a preference is emerging among individual farmers and their representative groups for full decoupling.
“My intention is to make a decision before Christmas to remove uncertainty for farmers and allow proper planning of the transition to the new system,” he said.
Mr Walsh also said the outcome of the WTO talks in Cancún was disappointing.
IFA general secretary Michael Berkery told the conference farm incomes will have to increase from abysmal levels.
It was unsustainable to expect farmers to live at half the income of an employee in food processing, the services sector or an employee in food processing.
“I represent farming, where incomes are less than one third of the average income of those that regulate and inspect us,” he said.
