The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, yesterday ruled out any major structural change at the Department of Agriculture, as has happened in other European countries where mainstream farm production has been demoted and rural development and other aspects of the ministry promoted.
Agriculture was still very important in Ireland, Mr Ahern told journalists when he officially opened the National Ploughing Championships yesterday.
More than 60,000 attended the opening day, the largest-ever first-day attendance at the championships which are being held at Grangeford, between Tullow and Carlow town.
Accompanied by the outgoing Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, who was on his last official outing as Minister, Mr Ahern refused to give any inkling about who was likely to be the new minister, but did say the reshuffle would reflect the needs of the country.
Paying tribute to Mr Walsh, the Taoiseach said the Department of Agriculture would need to take account of the huge consumer interest that was part of the whole agri-business, and that was where the future lay.
When it was put to him that many other European countries had taken the word "agriculture" out of the title of their departments, the Taoiseach said he did not agree with that point of view.
"Agriculture is still a very important industry," he said.
Earlier the Taoiseach had toured the main farm organisation stands at the grounds before paying a visit to the Fianna Fáil tent.
He also visited the ploughing site and spoke to some of the competitors.
While on site he also met the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, and the Minister of State at his own Department, Mr Tom Parlon.
Also present yesterday was the leader of Fine Gael, Mr Enda Kenny, who paid tribute to Mr Walsh.
Mr Kenny said that within the next few weeks he would be naming new spokespeople, not because of the Government reshuffle but because of his party's recent successes.
He said the election of Mr Simon Coveney and Mr Gay Mitchell to the European Parliament, and the selection of Mr John Bruton as EU ambassador in the US, had meant that he would have to name new people and he would be doing so, but not immediately.
The Green Party launched an attack on Government farming policy at the championships and criticised the possibility that GM crops would be grown in the State.
Mr Trevor Sargent, the party leader, said he was in the process of meeting the farm organisations in an attempt to have Ireland made a GM-free zone, and to date the Irish Cattle and Sheepfarmers' Association had committed itself to the idea.
He called on the Government to provide real support and incentives to Irish farmers who wanted to switch to organic means of production, which currently represented less than 1 per cent of farmed land in Ireland.
He said that as a consequence there was a real demand for organic produce, with 70 per cent of the €37 million market here having to be imported.
"To address this imbalance the Government needs to provide practical aid to the organic farming industry in the form of a major marketing drive," he said.
Mr Sargent added that an advisory board should be established to give practical information and advice to farmers as they changed to organic methods of farming.
There were the normal traffic delays on the site, which most people found was particularly suitable for the event, but no serious traffic jams yesterday, except on the Carlow side of the site, where there were some delays in the morning and again as people left.