Agricultural students are left out of pocket

HARD times on farms have left agricultural students out of pocket.

Students on all Teagasc programmes have to spend a 12-week practical learning period on farms, and they were paid the equivalent of the minimum agricultural wage by the host farmer, up to last year.

However, in 2009, Teagasc was unable to place all students, because the practical learning hosts could not afford to pay them the minimum agricultural wage.