There is great unhappiness in official circles at the resignation of the German Agriculture Minister, KarlHeinz Funke. He was seen as a firm friend of Ireland and its conventional farming methods. He was a guest of the Irish Government at the Galway Races last summer and later toured the Burren. His replacement by a Green is viewed with some dismay. The agriculture and/or health ministries in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark are now held by Greens, unlikely to be sympathetic to the policies of the Irish Department of Agriculture - let alone the self-interest of most Irish farmers.