The new Minister for Agriculture and Food, Ms Coughlan, identified sustainability as the single most important issue in agriculture when she held her first press conference at the National Ploughing Championships in Carlow yesterday.
Ms Coughlan said agriculture was in the process of change over recent years, especially in the areas of food quality and consumer affairs. She said she had kept up with the changes, had been very involved in agriculture since 1987 and had represented an agricultural constituency for many years.
"It's not something I was not accustomed to, and people like myself have been involved in plenty of committees. I expected to stay where I was, and was a bit surprised when I was moved," she added.
She had attended the ploughing championships two years ago to announce improvements in the Farm Assist scheme and she would continue to urge smaller farmers to apply for the scheme.
She said sustainability was a vital issue facing agriculture - how to keep farmers on the land and interest young people in staying on the land.
"The word at the end of the day is 'sustainability'. It's about how you can address the issue of young people who are not particularly interested in farming and at the same time the necessity to support one of the most important industries we have in this country," she said.
Ms Coughlan said she would like to see a balance between larger and small farms, and support for those with income difficulties.
"I know small farms better than the larger farms . . . To those who say small farms are not economic and it is silly to support them, I totally disagree because there are other issues such as the quality of life and rural life generally, and if that means we have part-time farming, I would be all for it," she said.
She did not think it was right that if a small farm was not economically viable the farmer would have to get out and she wanted small enterprises supported through REPS (Rural Environment Protection Schemes).
"At the same time we have to deal with the challenge of huge competition, high quality standards and the necessity for invention, investment in new product, and all of these have an economic aspect to them, but I also think you have to have a balance," she said.
Asked about the high price of Irish food, Ms Coughlan said the issue of consumer affairs was a matter for another ministry, but as a woman she was concerned about the issue of price and quality.
She said the farming organisations had to change to produce high-quality products, and it was the sale and marketing of that produce which was extremely important.
She said she did not see farmers cutting back production after decoupling was introduced and hoped it would not happen.
"I feel we have had a lot of challenges with European restrictions which were uncomfortable for many farmers.
"But the Government is very aware of any impact these will have, and the agri industry is very strong in my view and a great employer, and anything that would upset or undermine it is something we would have to address," she said.
Ms Anna May McHugh said the 187,00 attendance at the championships was the highest on record. The traffic problems had eased on the second day, and the event had run very smoothly.
The event at Grangeford, near Tullow, Co Carlow, cost over €1.8 million, and the site will be the venue for the world championships in 2006.