The IFA has described a recent report on the future of farming as 'flawed and misleading'.
The association's chief economist, Con Lucey, said that last December's report of the Government-appointed Agri Vision 2015 Committee, damaged the perception of the future role of viable agriculture in Ireland.
Mr Lucey said the report is widely perceived to have concluded that there will be 10,000 or less full-time viable farmers in Ireland in 2015.
But he said it omits to state that, based on its own analysis, 40,000 farms are likely to be economically viable based on farming only, in 2015.
Mr Lucey said the report has contributed to a public view of agriculture as a sector in terminal decline.
The IFA leader, John Dillon, added that the recommendations in the report are extremely weak on the crucial issues of farm incomes, viable product prices and the outgoing need for on-farm investment and consolidation to improve competitiveness.
