A prediction that a number of agricultural colleges will have to close was made yesterday when the report by the Task Force on Agricultural Education and Training was presented in Tullamore.
Already, two colleges in the Republic have closed or changed their role as the number of young people coming into agriculture has shown a dramatic decline.
This "drastic" fall-off in numbers, said Mr Donal Creedon, chairman of the task force, would have to be redressed. There had to be a change of attitude towards the sector. Mr Creedon, a former secretary-general of the Department of Agriculture and Food, said one of the important factors in this was that the farm organisations "talked down" agriculture. "They are always saying there is not enough and they go looking for things, which is their role. But it has a negative impact on the sector," Mr Creedon said.
The nation had "more colleges than we can fill", and two had already opted out of the system.
He also pointed out that a major investment in the agricultural colleges was needed.
Dr Liam Downey, the Teagasc director, accepted that some of the colleges would have to amalgamate, and this would lead to closures.
But, he said, agriculture was now going to become part of mainstream education, with all entrants applying to the CAO having completed their Leaving Certificate.
The task force had recommended that when the proposed NCEA National Certificate in Agriculture and the NCVA courses were established they should become the basic qualification for new entrants to farming.
It also recommended that the Diploma in Agriculture or the Farm Apprenticeship Board Farm Management Certificate should be attained by those going into full-time commercial farming.
In that context, the report said it considered that a three-month placement on a farm was inadequate and that the minimum period of on-farm placement should be nine months, with the trainees paid the agricultural wage. The report recommends urgent investment in the existing agricultural colleges.
The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, said he would be bringing the report before the Cabinet within the next month.
He said a fundamental review of the existing agricultural education and training system was absolutely necessary in the wake of the Agenda 2000 reform of the CAP and the forthcoming world trade talks.
Already some significant initiatives had been taken, he said, and he had provided, in the current year, £2 million to enable badly needed capital works at training college and Teagasc training centres to get under way. This was part of a planned £10 million investment over five years.
He said he was also pleased with the progress that Teagasc was making in the process of mainstreaming agricultural education and training.