University College Dublin (UCD) academic, Prof. Patrick Wall, wants the Irish government to take the needs of agriculture more seriously.
He cites the previous proposal by Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan, to reintroduce wolves into Ireland as a case in point.
In addition, Wall wants all the farming organisations to take the front foot, when it comes to communicating the fundamental importance of agriculture within the Irish economy to the public at large.
He is also very critical of the anti-farming bias that he claims is “locked-into” many Irish media outlets.
“The demands of the global food security challenge alone should ensure that Irish agriculture can look forward to a positive future,” he said.
“This factor alone should ensure that large numbers of our best young people are attracted into the industry.
“But I fear this is not happening, given many of the negative stories relating to the sector that are regularly featured on Irish media outlets.”
Academic at conference
The academic made the comments while chairing a recent pig industry seminar, hosted by Adesco.
He welcomed the fact that the sector is looking to the future with a degree of confidence, having just come out of a particularly deep recession.
Prof. Wall indicated that animal health challenges, impacting around the world, will have a direct bearing on the profitability of pig production in Ireland.
He specifically cited the impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) within Spain’s pig industry at the present time, plus the resurgent threat of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China.
“All of this is good news for the Irish pig sector, provided we manage to keep these diseases out of the country,” he explained.
Wall stressed the need for the pig sector to address the challenge of antimicrobial resistance head on.
“The onus is now on the industry to prove that the level of antibiotic usage within the sector is falling.”
According to Wall, this will only happen when pig farmers fully commit to improving the overall health standards within their herds.
“Making this happen will require improvements in animal welfare, nutrition and the implementation of management strategies that are aimed at specifically reducing disease levels on pig farms,” he continued.
Wall foresees much greater use of vaccines in this regard.
“Pig farmers must tackle the challenge of all pathogens, not just Salmonella and E-coli, which seem to grab all the headlines,” he said.