A commitment by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to radically reform the Department of Agriculture has been effectively blocked.
On coming to office four years ago, Mr Ahern announced the Coalition Government would establish "an autonomous agency to administer FEOGA (the European Agriculture fund and other farm payments) with the intention of refocusing the Department of Agriculture on its core function of policy-making."
The Taoiseach's policy was in keeping with a key recommendation of the beef tribunal, which had investigated widespread fraud within the sector. And it followed a similar decision by the outgoing rainbow coalition government. In spite of those decisions, however, the restructuring programme adopted by the Department of Agriculture has led to the retention of FEOGA functions within its remit. A Department spokesman confirmed that the structures now in place involved four pillars: one dealing with food production and food safety; one dealing with FEOGA; one concerned with agriculture policy; and one providing support services to the other three pillars.
Asked if the Coalition had formally approved these new structures, he replied that the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, was "keeping the Government informed of developments".
Reliable sources say the Cabinet was not asked to amend its updated 1999 Programme for Government, which lists as one of its key priorities "the establishment of an independent agency to administer FEOGA and other payments such as premia to farmers. This agency will be under the general policy direction of the Minister and will have its own accounting officer".
A Progressive Democrats spokesman said his understanding was that Department officials were drawing up proposals to deal with reform. The establishment of a stand-alone FEOGA agency was, he added, a Fianna Fail election commitment.
With less than a year before the next general election it is unlikely the legislation required to restructure the Department will be passed by this Government. The Department has also successfully resisted some of the Taoiseach's wishes concerning its functions in relation to food production and food safety. Mr Ahern had committed himself to transferring all such responsibility to a statutory, independent, Food Quality Authority in 1997.
However, the new body became the Food Safety Authority, responsible to the Department of Health. And the Department of Agriculture retained responsibility for many of its earlier on and off-farm functions, although its inspection procedures are now carried out under contract by the Food Safety Authority.