Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issue I wish to raise today has serious implications for agriculture, the integrity of the institutes of technology and, most importantly, the employment prospects of college graduates. I refer to the refusal by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to recognise graduates of the honours degree in rural enterprise at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, at Mountbellew Agricultural College, for employment as farm advisory service planners for the new GLAS scheme due to commence in February.

The Department has said that the problem is due to the lack of a soil science module in the GMIT-Mountbellew Agricultural College programme. A detailed appeal by the principal of Mountbellew Agriculture College outlines that the subject is covered under modules of a different name. However, the Department now only recognises the courses delivered by UCD and WIT. In fact, the WIT BSc in land management and the GMIT-Mountbellew BSc in agricultural and environmental management commenced in the same year and were designed together in 2000-2001 with the same objectives in mind.

Mountbellew Agricultural College, which has been in existence for 100 years, became a partner with GMIT in 1987 in the delivery of agricultural education. GMIT and the Mountbellew college collaborated with Teagasc in the design and content of FETAC and HETAC courses. A strong emphasis is placed on practical and work experience. Many GMIT-Mountbellew graduates are already employed by Teagasc and other environmental agencies and work on REPS and other agricultural and environmental schemes.

The decision taken by the Department has major implications for graduates of GMIT-Mountbellew, because they will be excluded from the employment opportunities presented by the new GLAS scheme. Teagasc has contracted out much planning work to the Farm Relief Services and it wants to employ some GMIT graduates. Interestingly, in recent weeks, while the GMIT-Mountbellew appeal was being considered, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided training on the new GLAS scheme for their graduates.

I ask the Leader to urge the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to get involved in this matter as a matter of urgency. The course should be recognised and, if necessary, some minor adjustments made to the syllabus in future years. The fact is that students want to attend colleges and work in their own regions, so it is critical that the qualifications at GMIT-Mountbellow make graduates eligible for employment as farm advisory service planners. This is a particularly serious issue for the west of Ireland and for all graduates who, having graduated, understood they would qualify to be farm planners for this new scheme. I ask that the Minister get involved and resolve this matter over the coming weeks.