DEAR SIR: The opportunities for future employment in the agricultural sector are very positive. A far cry from the mothers of Ireland telling their children in the 90’s: ‘Whatever ye do, don’t stay in farming’. It’s fashionable now to be doing Ag. Science. We saw that with the hike in points for entry this year. Are we awarding the vast majority of our agri undergraduates FETAC level 6 and 7 from our agricultural colleges degrees in Ag. Science? Will there be any places available soon in our agricultural colleges for the lads or lassies who want to be hands-on employees, i.e. milk cows and do the routine chores that make farming profitable, with attention to detail? The ‘Green Cert’ qualification remains the available route for inheritance purposes.

This is a typical sample of an application letter we got in reply to a dairy herdsman position advertised in the Irish Farmers Journal:

Hi how are,

Im just sending on my cv for your job vaccine. I have compleated my green cert from ……Agricultural college and I went on to complete my degree BSc Agriculture in …… Institute of Technology and …….. Agricultural College. At home I come from a beef suckler farm and I am planing on converting to dairy in the next two years. I have plenty of experience with livestock, animal husbandry, calf rearing, some machinery and I have done about two weeks milking. I am very hard worker and I am hoping to learn more about dairying before I set up myself. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself or my references. Thanks

This was a very honest applicant. Typically between 19 and 21-years-old. After interviewing four applicants with similar qualifications we elicited from their referees/farm placement, that ‘Johnny was a grand lad, but I did the milking myself, he’d no experience, I couldn’t let him milk the cows on his own’. Some had done ‘group milking’ in New Zealand where ‘anything goes’. All applicants were fully ‘confident’ they could ‘manage’ my herd.

All the applicants had similar wage expectations of €450 to €500 per week net, after tax, USC and PRSI deductions, free accommodation, meals supplied, statutory 29 days of holidays and terms and conditions.

We employed a local lad and trained him in ourselves (we’ve had farm apprentices for many years). He’s the ideal herdsman. Loves cows and animals and the rural way of life. He’s in gainful employment with €400 a week into his hand.

Why don’t career guidance teachers in local secondary schools, VEC and community schools have a ‘pool’ of placement host farmers for transition year students? Expose more young people to modern farming? Can the Minister please talk to his colleagues in government and create training places in this area for some of his 100,000 job seekers?

The jobs that will be available Minister, will be ‘hands on jobs’ not management positions for graduates who have had no ‘university of life’. It is time farmer employers are listened to.