Agriculture, Food and Rurual Development: Joe Walsh has been a solid performer at Cabinet level since he took over the job on the formation of the Government. He is now the longest-serving Minister for Agriculture in the EU and his farming critics say it is time he got it right.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Joe Walsh

Track record

Since first elected to the Dáil in Cork South West in 1977, Walsh has served in no department other than agriculture when his party was in power. He served two terms as a Minister of State at the Department and has had two terms as Minister.

He has managed to argue successfully for the agriculture lobby at Cabinet on a number of major issues including the provision of additional national funding for farmers when the Common Agricultural Policy was reformed in Agenda 2000 and for money to help beef farmers after the last BSE crisis. He will be remembered as the Minister for Agriculture who eventually forced the identification of every sheep in the State on the farming community and who licensed the cattle dealers.The genial race-goer has made few political enemies over the years and his relaxed style tends to hide a razor-sharp brain with a major grasp on the portfolio.

Main achievement

His handling of the foot-and-mouth crisis last year which made him a national figure. After a shaky start and much criticism of controls at ports and airports, Walsh supervised a system which worked with the help of the Irish people. He became the figurehead of the fight to stop the spread of the disease throughout the State.

Biggest failure

Not implementing the advice offered by Dr Patrick Wall of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland to use the Special EU Slaughter for Destruction Scheme to make Ireland a BSE-free state. Walsh allowed farmers use the 2001 scheme as a market-support mechanism instead of directing their older cows there for destruction.

Prospects

Walsh is a certainty to be back in the next Dáil. Should Fianna Fáil be returned to power, Walsh is sure to be back in Cabinet and will have first refusal on agriculture. Those who know him well say he will accept the position again as, while he is capable of handling matters other than agriculture, his main interest lies there.

Sean MacConnell

Agriculture Correspondent

OPPOSITION PERFORMANCE

Fine Gael

Alan Dukes

A minister on his first day in the Dáil, in 1981, and later party leader, he seemed destined for great things. But it all unravelled when he lost the leadership to John Bruton. For a time, he gave the impression of being a brooding and disillusioned presence in the Fine Gael benches.

However, he appears to have had a new lease of life in recent times. Having supported Michael Noonan for the leadership, he has moved centre stage in the party, increasing his profile on a number of issues.

Although sometimes hampered by a monotonous speaking style, he has a good knowledge of his brief. He is reported still to harbour ambitions to regain the leadership, but he is unlikely to be given a second chance by the party.

Labour

Willie Penrose

He looks, walks and talks like a midlands farmer analysing the quality of the cattle at a local mart. It took a lot of hard work for him to secure, in 1992, the first Labour seat in Westmeath for 65 years. He has taken to his Dáil brief with the same level of energy and application. A qualified barrister, he also holds a masters in agricultural science. In the Dáil, he speaks authoritatively on farming issues in the language and tone of his rural constituents.

Undoubtedly ministerial material, he has promised to deliver in government where, according to political folklore, Éamon de Valera failed over decades. He has pledged that Labour, in power, would establish a single river authority for the Shannon to tackle the flooding problem. Locals will expect it to be delivered faster than Dev's repeated promise to drain the river.

M. O'R.