A new national plan for agriculture will prioritise the role of food safety and attempt to create a more consumer-focused outlook in the sector.
The Agri-Vision 2015 Action Plan - published today by the Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan - sets out the Government's vision for the sector over the next decade.
The plan addresses the challenges posed by a globalisation and planned reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.
It identifies the emergence of technology and research and development as "significant market drivers" and major changes in the structures of farming and retailing.
The plan - which is a response to a report of the Agri-Vision 2015 Committee - also envisages an enhanced role for Teagasc and An Bord Bia, which markets Irish food and drink.
It also recommends continued consolidation of farming holdings and a freeing up of the milk quota system.
Ms Coughlan said: "Farming remains a bedrock of rural communities despite those who predict its terminal decline".
She said: "The Plan focuses on three key requirements for success in the light of these challenges: competitiveness, innovation and consumer-focused marketing."
"Competitiveness is not optional for such an export-oriented sector and is the primary objective on which this plan is based.
"In the modern high-tech food industry, technological progress and product innovation are unremitting and vital to the future of the sector. Meeting consumer demands on product, presentation and price are also absolutely critical to our continuing success," she said.
