Teagasc has "rejected outright" criticisms from the young farmers' organisation, Macra na Feirme, that its promotion of education courses has led to a worrying decline in enrolment at agricultural colleges.
Macra president Mr Thomas Honner said enrolment in agricultural colleges had fallen by 12 per cent since last year when there were 837 enrolments compared to 738 this year.
"The whole structure, organisation and delivery of the Teagasc education function needs to be reviewed," he said.
Mr Honner, who takes up the issue later today with Teagasc director Mr Jim Flanagan, said that although the figures were disturbing, "regrettably they were not surprising".
He said Teagasc was promoting its 180-hour courses as a quick method of qualification for grants and this was drawing students away from agricultural colleges.
"While there is a clear need to provide accessible training for part-time farmers, 180 hours of training is simply not sufficient to properly train farmers.
"We are selling our industry short," he said.
But last night, a Teagasc spokesman said Mr Honner had not been comparing like with like and rejected completely what he was saying.
"It is true there has been a fall in enrolment but that reflects a decline in birth rates on farms in the 1980s and a decline in farm numbers generally and a growth in part-time farming," he said.
He added that the 180-hour courses were designed as "add ons" for people who already had third level qualifications and who wanted to go back to farming, probably as part timers.