The Irish Farmers' Association president, Mr Tom Parlon, yesterday accepted the criticism that negative statements from his organisation about the future of farming were keeping young people from entering the business.
Mr Parlon, who was announcing details of the IFA submission to Government on the next round of structural funding, said he understood the concerns of young people.
Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and the next round of the world trade talks, he said, posed a real threat to the future of farming, and IFA had to speak out strongly on these subjects.
"I accept the criticism that the statements we make, and make very strongly, will put young people off farming. But they are not stupid and they know the real dangers that face the industry as well as we do," he said.
He would make no apologies for the statements he had to make on these subjects. They had to be made because of the threats to the industry.
Mr Parlon chose the Horse Show to launch the document on structural funding because, he said, a major characteristic of the current rapid economic growth was increased urbanisation while the development of rural areas was lagging behind.
The current round of structural funding had led to that economic growth, with £1 billion each year being pumped into the economy over the last number of years.
The projected continued strong growth in the economy, he said, would draw people, particularly young people, out of agriculture and out of rural areas generally.
"Thus ongoing investment in agriculture is essential to ensure market competitiveness to meet environmental standards and to modernise farming in terms of scale and efficiency," he said.
Mr Parlon said the IFA was proposing that environmental investment in the Control of Farmyard Pollution Scheme and the Dairy Hygiene Scheme should be pitched at £177 million over the next seven years.
It wanted a fund of £8 million a year to encourage 1,000 qualified new entrants into farming annually, and there should be proposals to tackle fragmentation of farms.
The package, which has already been presented to Government, also sought support for the food processing industry, training and marketing.
It highlighted the need for the upgrading of roads in rural areas and said that £300 million should be spent on county and local roads. It proposed that an allocation of £210 million be spent on the Rural Water Programme, including group water schemes.
The package proposed that £457 million be spent on agriculture between 2000 and 2006, the period covered by the next round of EU Structural Funding.