A claim that most of the Irish farming leadership has failed both its farm members and rural Ireland by advocating flawed strategies has been made by the leader of Irish Rural Link, the lobby group for rural development.
The group's chief executive, Séamus Boland, said it had been shown in various studies and reports that farming was in decline, and this posed serious questions with regard to rural areas and the development of rural areas in the future.
"Rural development policy, which has been seen as the preserve of the farmer, especially by the farming organisations, needs to be designed and implemented for the benefit of the wider rural community, which obviously includes farmers but much more," said Mr Boland.
Speaking at the opening of the organisation's annual conference in Tullamore, he said there was a need to widen the debate on rural development. This would involve exploring ways in which rural communities could play a bigger role in the development of their areas.
"Farming organisations and farmers are going to have to realise that they no longer hold a monopoly on rural policies and, for that matter, rural monies," he said.
"For too long rural community groups and their needs have been bypassed by various policy makers, including farming bodies, and this is simply not acceptable, especially in light of the need for balanced regional development that is often cited by Government ministers," said Mr Boland.