The curriculum at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) should have a greater emphasis on grassland, soil and business management, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said.

In response to a DAERA consultation on a knowledge framework strategy, the UFU said that technical education within CAFRE was strong but more has to be done to improve the business knowledge of students.

“Education needs to reflect real farm businesses and the range of different systems, so that students are more aware of the pressures they will face as well as future opportunities and new technologies,” UFU president Barclay Bell said.

There are around 1,500 students enrolled in courses in agriculture, food, horticulture and equine at the three CAFRE campuses in NI.

Greater use of apprenticeships and practical agriculture courses was recommended by the union. Bell added that more account was also needed of the poultry and pig sectors in courses at CAFRE.

“DAERA too has a part to play in educating the public about the role of farmers in producing top-quality products for our food chain. A great example of this is the work of Agri Aware in the Republic of Ireland,” Bell said.

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