The rural youth organisation, Macra na Feirme, has called on the Minister for Agriculture to fix his Budget blunders and show foresight for the farming industry.
Speaking before their national conference in Galway, Macra President Catherine Buckley said Minister Brendan Smith must not turn his back on young farmers.
Ms Buckley criticised the Minister's recent decisions to suspend farm structural schemes that help young farmers, and she called for the immediate re-opening of the installation and early retirement schemes.
She said the recent increase in students attending agricultural colleges presented a great opportunity to turn the tide on the numbers entering the agricultural sector.
But she said Mr Smith's recent decision to suspend the schemes highlights his lack of foresight.
The Minister opened the Macra conference tonight.
