Minister must rally to cause
Although still a vital part of the economy, agriculture has been left standing still by the economic boom in other sectors.
Statistics from the Central Bank of Ireland (2003), showed that income from agriculture, forestry and fishing grew by only 24.4% between 1990 and 2002, compared with a 200% increase in non-agricultural wages, salaries and pensions.
There was population growth in rural areas, but the numbers employed in the traditional rural activities, including agriculture, declined.
The figures don’t include the food processing sector which is tied to farming.
Nevertheless, they signal a progressively weakening role for agriculture, not only nationally, but even in the rural countryside.
It’s certainly not the sector of first choice for an ambitious politician to make their name, unless they are wholeheartedly committed to the rural cause.
Ministerial candidates will also have to be ready to face the farming lobby, one of the most effective pressure groups in the country, guaranteed to harass the Minister every step of the way.
The new Minister will need the optimism and practical commitment, which according to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern last week, helped Joe Walsh remain steadfast, while others regularly predicted the demise of rural Ireland. It’s a tribute to Minister Walsh that Ireland did not go the way of most other EU member states and get rid of the Department of Agriculture. He resisted numerous attempts to downgrade it, remaining adamant that the Department of Agriculture was very important and should stay in the Cabinet portfolio.
It’s worrying that he felt it necessary to emphasise publicly a few times in the recent weeks how important the agri-food sector is in the economy.
In the debate over appointing an Irish Commissioner, the image of agriculture was further weakened, as the Government planned to secure one of the economic portfolios in Brussels, rather than Agriculture.
Even as Joe Walsh planned his own exit, he must have wondered if the role of Agriculture would be reduced in the cabinet re-shuffle, despite its 10% of the work force directly employed, 10% of Gross Domestic Product, 25% of net exports, and hundreds of thousands of people involved in the greater sphere of agriculture and food.
But in the course of his retirement announcement, he said he believed the Government will continue to give Agriculture the attention it deserves.
Minister Walsh also said his successor would not necessarily need to come from an agricultural background.
But only someone who can empathise with the unique mind set of Irish farmers will be able to help them adapt to the unknown territory of Mid-Term Review (Fischler reform) from next January.
The ability to deal with farmers is also vital for the preservation of the environment which, Minister Walsh predicts, will be the future focus in agriculture.
The Government’s environmental protection role has brought it to a number of standoffs with farmers, until Environment Minister Cullen recently adopted a more “softly, softly” approach to landowners.
As well as understanding the needs of farmers, the new Minister must handle complex international and national negotiations, major legislative initiatives, major financial responsibilities, and food safety and consumer protection demands.
So it’s one of the more demanding jobs in the Cabinet, but Agriculture offers no fast track to political glory.
Having been able enough to hold the post for 10 years, during which he famously saved Ireland from foot-and-mouth, Joe Walsh seemed to have been better recognised overseas than at home, bestowed with France’s Legion d’Honneur, and Spain’s Grand Cross of the Agricultural Order of Merit.
But someone with the interests of rural Ireland at heart can earn their own personal reward for a job well done in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development.
