The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has signalled he will not be following Mr Joe Walsh out of the Cabinet before next month's reshuffle.
Mr Walsh announced yesterday that he would step down as Minister for Agriculture when the Dáil resumes on September 29th. His departure creates a second Cabinet vacancy following the nomination of Mr Charlie McCreevy to the European Commission.
Mr Smith, who along with Mr Walsh came close to losing his Cabinet post after the 2002 general election, indicated last night that he was not considering retirement, and that he believed his age was not a barrier to staying in the Cabinet.
Aged 64 in November, his position is perceived to be under threat after his public defiance of the Hanly hospital reform policy last year. Sources close to Mr Smith said yesterday that he was younger than some members of the incoming European Commission.
"It is interesting to note that five of the commissioners appointed yesterday by Mr Barroso, who will serve the people of Europe for five years, are older than Mr Smith. Europe values experience."
While the retirement of Mr Walsh gives Mr Ahern additional room for manoeuvre after the departure of Mr McCreevy, such remarks indicate that Mr Smith will not leave the Cabinet without a fight.
Mr Ahern paid tribute yesterday to Mr Walsh, stating that his stewardship of the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001 was his finest hour.
"The consequences of failure to stop foot-and-mouth would have been devastating, not only for farmers but for the whole economy. Typically calm and resolute, he successfully faced down what was a potential national catastrophe."
Mr Walsh has spent 15 of the last 17 years in the Department of Agriculture, 10 of them as senior Minister. The tenure was unique in Irish politics, said Mr Ahern.
He said Mr Walsh had told him last Christmas he wished to retire from the Cabinet this autumn, and stand down from the Dáil at the next election.
"As a result of my chat with him he would have surely formed the view that I was thinking about my future this summer," Mr Walsh said yesterday.
Speaking to journalists, the Minister said the announcement of his retirement was not prompted by his failure to secure the EU commissionership or fear of being dropped from the Cabinet.
"I formally told the Taoiseach a couple of weeks ago about my decision, and I spoke to him this morning to tell him I was going to make this formal announcement."
The Minister said he had never sought the commissionership, and had indicated that the post would create personal problems for him if it was offered to him.
Mr Walsh said he had never spoken with the Taoiseach about the job, and was very pleased that Mr McCreevy, a friend, had received an important portfolio in Brussels. He wished him well.
He said he had no problem with a reshuffle, and he had had a "very good run" as one of the longest-serving agriculture ministers in Europe and the State.
"It is, therefore, an appropriate juncture to reflect on the future, and I believe the time has now come for me to move on to another stage of my life.
"I have always held the view that there is a time for change, and that point has now been reached.
"This will facilitate the appointment of a new Minister to take on the crucial task of stewardship of the agriculture and agri-food sector in the new era now opening up before it."
Were he to stay on, he would have had to pretend in Cabinet that he was interested in another post. Even if he had "toughed it out" and was offered a post, such as Defence, he would not have been interested.
The Minister said he believed it was appropriate for him to retire now at the end of the Irish EU presidency, the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy mid-term review rules, and the World Trade Organisation agreement.
Mr Walsh said he was passionate about agriculture and about food, and would become involved in the development of speciality and artisan foods.