Minister Pippa Hackett may well feel that Ireland does not have to feed 40m people, but most farmers will feel that they have a responsibility to make the best use of the assets they have, in terms of both their land and their own capacity.

By coincidence, just as Minister Hackett was making her comments, I received a copy of a book on the life and times of Dr Tom Walsh, the first director and the essential driver in the establishment of The Agricultural Institute.

The body was set up primarily with American money, donated in the aftermath of the devastation of Europe following the second world war. The difference in attitudes between “The Doc” as Tom Walsh was usually known and Minister Hackett could hardly be greater.

In some areas of the country, particular problems were identified with a scarcity of some minerals, such as copper on peaty soils

He saw Irish fields described in international reports as “producing as little as possible under an Irish sky”. He set out to find the reasons for low yields of meat, milk and crops and started with developing an understanding of the basic raw material – the soil. Under his direction, rigorous soil analysis was undertaken at Johnstown Castle in Wexford, while field trials were laid out to find out the effects of applying different amounts of the key nutrients to grassland and crops. In some areas of the country, particular problems were identified with a scarcity of some minerals, such as copper on peaty soils.

In others, damaging excess levels were identified, such as molybdenum on some freshly limed heavy soils. He also oversaw the purchase and development of farms and research centres such as Moorepark for dairying, Grange for beef, Oak Park for tillage, Kinsealy for horticulture, Creagh/Belclare for sheep, as well as associated field stations and economic test farms.

Its close links with ICBF and universities both domestic and foreign has revolutionised the sector

The Agricultural Institute, now part of Teagasc with its with its associated advisory and educational functions, has given Irish farming an excellent service organisation.

Its close links with ICBF and universities both domestic and foreign has revolutionised the sector. Some may want to revert back to the days when rabbit exports were more important than dairy ones. I would rather take the view that if we have developed a capacity to feed far more than our population, we should use science, with its increased analytical capacity, to ensure that as little environmental damage as possible is done while maintaining a productive capacity and a livelihood for farming families and the food industries around the country.