ITEM NO: 4 B (1)

Teagasc

Proposed Research, Advisory and Education/Training Programme of Activities for the year 2010

September 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT.................................................... 3 1.1 Introduction................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Current Context........................................................................................... 3 1.3 Background and Policy ............................................................................... 3 1.4 Teagasc Mandate, Vision, Mission, Values and Goals............................... 6 1.5 Programme linkage to Goals in Statement of Strategy............................... 7 1.6 Resources .................................................................................................... 7

2. FOOD RESEARCH PROGRAMME................................................... 9 2.1 Overview..................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Overall Objective ...................................................................................... 10 2.3 Programme Priorities for 2010.................................................................. 10 2.4 Food Safety ............................................................................................... 11 2.5 Food Quality ............................................................................................. 13 2.6 Food for Health ......................................................................................... 17 2.7 Food Industry Development ..................................................................... 18 2.8 Moorepark Technology Ltd (MTL) .......................................................... 19

3. AGRICULTURE RESEARCH PROGRAMME .............................. 21 3.1 Overview................................................................................................... 21 3.2 Overall Objective ...................................................................................... 22 3.3 Programme Priorities for 2010.................................................................. 22 3.4 Animal Research Programme ................................................................... 24 3.5 Crops Programme ..................................................................................... 32 3.6 Environment Programme.......................................................................... 37 3.7 Economics and Rural Research Programme............................................. 43 3.8 Grassland Programme............................................................................... 50

4. ADVISORY PROGRAMME .............................................................. 54 4.1 Overview................................................................................................... 54 4.2 Overall Objective ...................................................................................... 55 4.3 Programme Priorities for 2010.................................................................. 55 4.4 Business and Technology Programme...................................................... 56 4.5 Environment and Technology Programme ............................................... 60 4.6 Rural Innovation Programme.................................................................... 61 4.7 Forestry Development Unit....................................................................... 62 4.8 Horticulture Development Unit ................................................................ 63 4.9 Pigs Development Unit ............................................................................. 64

5. EDUCATION PROGRAMME ........................................................... 65 5.1 Overview................................................................................................... 65 5.2 Education and Training............................................................................. 68 5.3 Education and Training Programmes........................................................ 71

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1. INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT 1.1 Introduction This document, the Annual Programme of Activities (Proposed Research, Advisory and Education/Training Programme of Activities for 2010) outlines the planned work programme for the next calendar year in the following programme areas:

• Food Research • Agriculture Research • Advisory • Education and Development Units

It is submitted to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in accordance with Section 13.3 of the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988. 1.2 Current Context This document was prepared at a time of great uncertainty about the future budgetary situation for the organisation and the consequences of the impending implementation of the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes. The focus of the Special Group’s recommendations is on the overall Vote for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, including Exchequer support for the State agencies operating under the aegis of the Department. Teagasc accepts the need for cuts in expenditure in the context of the need to stabilise the public finances and to commence a return to a sustainable fiscal position, but argues the need to maintain a sufficient resource within the Vote for its research and innovation support functions. In the future there will be a greater emphasis on supporting the productive capacity of the sector rather than underpinning support systems. Accordingly, the developmental role of Teagasc will be even more crucial in enabling our agri-food sector respond to growing market opportunities for safe and healthy foods, contribute to national economic recovery, play a role in the development of the ‘Smart Economy’ and underpin our national food security. Teagasc must maintain a minimum critical level of resources to remain viable and support the innovation needs of the industry to enable it grasp new growth opportunities. Teagasc is currently implementing the Teagasc Change Programme 2009 – 2013, which addresses both the ongoing need for change identified in the Teagasc 2030 Foresight report and the need for significant resource rationalization arising from the 2009 budgetary challenge and future pressures and this is reflected in this programme of activities. Further reorganisation is likely to arise when the full implications of the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes have been considered. If further challenges are presented Teagasc will prioritise its activities, reallocate resources to best achieve the stated objectives and discontinue some of its lower priority areas of work. 1.3 Background and Policy Teagasc’s activities are designed to support Irish food and agriculture within the framework of government and EU policies and priorities. They are influenced by a number of recent policy documents, reports and evaluations including the following:

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1.3.1 Policy Documents and Reports 1 Report of the Special Group on Public Service

Numbers and Expenditure Programmes http://www.finance.gov.ie/documents/pressreleases/2009/bl100vol1.pdf

2009

2 Towards 2030 Foresight Report www.teagasc.ie. 2008 3 Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Statement of Strategy 2008-2010 (draft) www.agriculture.gov.ie 2008

4 Value For Money Review of the Food Institutional Research Measure

www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=publicat/publications2008/index.xml

2008

5 OECD Review of the Irish Public Service 2008 www.bettergov.ie/index.asp?locID=220&docID=-1

2008

6 An Agreed Programme for Government - June 2007.

Department of An Taoiseach, Dublin www.taoiseach.gov.ie 2007

7 National Development Plan 2007 – 2013 www.ndp.ie 2007 8 The Rural Development Strategy and Programme 2007-

2013 www.pobail.ie/en/RuralDevelopment 2007

9 National Climate Change strategy 2007 – 2012 www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Atmosphere

2007

10 Bio-energy Action Plan for Ireland www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Corporate+Units/Virtual+Press+Room/Publications

2007

11 FP7- The Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development 2007-2013

www.ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/index_en.cfm 2007

12 Lisbon Declaration www.eua.be/fileadmin/user_upload/files/Lisbon_Convention/Lisbon_Declaration.pdf

2007

13 Towards 2016, Ten-Year Framework Social

Partnership Agreement 2006-2015 www.taoiseach.gov.ie 2006

14 Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation 2006-2013

www.entemp.ie/science/technology/sciencestrategy.htm

2006

15 Strategic Technology Platform (STEP) for Agri-Food

technologies www.forfas.ie/icsti/statements/icsti050315b/icsti_050315b_strategic_technology_platform_webopt.pdf

2005

16 European Technology Platform on Food for Life - The vision for 2020 and beyond

ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/technology-platforms/docs/foodforlife_etp_visiondoc.pdf

2005

17 Report of the Agri -Vision 2015 Committee www.agri-vision2015.ie 2004 18 Building Ireland’s Knowledge Economy: The Irish

Action Plan for Promoting Investment in R&D to 2010 www.entemp.ie/press/2004/20040809.htm 2004

19 Ahead of the Curve: Ireland’s Place in the Global Economy. Report of the Enterprise Strategy Group. Forfás, Dublin, (O’Driscoll Report)

www.forfas.ie/esg/ 2004

20 Prepared Consumer Foods Strategy 2003-2006 http://agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=pressrel/2

003/123-2003.xml 2003

21 Strategic Development Plan for the Irish Dairy Processing Sector (Prospectus Report)

www.prospectus.ie/publications.events.php 2003

22 The Demand and Supply of Skills in the Food Processing Sector

www.skillsireland.ie/press/reports/pdf/egfsn0310_4th_skills_report.pdf

2003

23 Luxembourg Agreement www.agriculture.ie/cap/revsd_explantry_booklet31_10.pdf - (summary)

2003

24 National Biodiversity Plan www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Heritage/NatureConservation

2002

25 EPA 2020 Vision - Protecting and Improving Ireland's Environment EPA Strategy

www.epa.ie/downloads/pubs/other/corporate/name,14621,en.html

2000

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1.3.2 Internal Reviews and Evaluations 2009 Financial Management Review 2008 Peer Review Evaluation of Environment Research Programme 2008 Evaluation of ICT Strategy 2007 Evaluation of the Teagasc REPS Service 2007 Education / FETAC Review – Horticulture 2007 Agriculture Management Structures Review 2007 Strategy for the Future Resourcing of Agricultural and Horticultural Colleges 2007 Evaluation of the proposal to establish an Animal Bio-Science Centre for Teagasc 2006 Evaluation of Teagasc National Farm Survey 2006 Evaluation of Walsh Fellowship Postgraduate Programme 2006 Evaluation of Food Training Programme 2006 Review of Teagasc Advisory Service to Dairy Farmers 2005 Evaluation of Nutrient Research Programme 2005 Evaluation of Research Retooling Programme 2005 Review of Teagasc’s Provision of Education and Training

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1.4 Teagasc Mandate, Vision, Mission, Values and Goals 1.4.1 Mandate Teagasc was established under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988 which states that the statutory responsibilities of Teagasc are:

• “To provide or procure the provision of education, training and advisory services in agriculture…”

• “To obtain and make available to the agricultural industry the scientific and practical information in relation to agriculture required by it”

• “To understand, promote, encourage, assist, co-ordinate, facilitate and review agricultural research and development (including research and development in relation to food processing and the food processing industry)”.

As part of the Teagasc Foresight 2030 exercise the vision, mission, goal and values for the Agri-Food Sector and Teagasc have been set out as follows: 1.4.2 Vision for Irish Agri-Food Sector ‘The agri-food sector will be a core element of an Irish bio-economy that will be knowledge-based, innovation-driven, market-led and internationally competitive, and it will enhance the quality of life of all the people of Ireland’. 1.4.3 Vision for Teagasc ‘To be internationally recognized for providing excellent science-based innovation support for the agri-food sector and the wider bio-economy’. 1.4.4 Mission Statement ‘To support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and broader bio-economy that will underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability’. 1.4.5 Our Overall Goal ‘To help build sustainable rural communities’. 1.4.6 Values ‘Be responsive, flexible and accountable and work in partnership with other organizations to meet the needs of our clients and stakeholders’. 1.4.7 Teagasc Goals The Teagasc goals are: Goal 1: Improve the competitiveness of agriculture, food and the wider bio-economy Goal 2: Support sustainable farming and the environment Goal 3: Encourage diversification of the rural economy and enhance the quality of life in rural areas Goal 4: Enhance organisational capability and deliver value for money

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1.5 Programme linkage to Goals in Statement of Strategy Teagasc is organised in five Directorates. Table 1 shows the priority given by each of the Directorates to meeting the goals set out in the Statement of Strategy: Table 1: Programme linkage to organisational goals

Food Research

Agr. Research

Advisory Area Units

Knowledge Transfer

and Education

Programme Administra

tion and Corporate Services

Goal 1: Improve the competitiveness of agriculture, food and the wider bio-economy

1 1 1 1

Goal 2: Support sustainable farming and improve the environment

2 2 2

Goal 3: Encourage diversification of the rural economy and enhance the quality of life in rural areas

3 3 3

Goal 4: Enhance organisational capability and deliver value for money

2 4 4 4 1

1.6 Resources The budgeted expenditure and income for 2009 are outlined in Table 2. In preparing this plan, it is assumed that a similar level of state grant, the proposed allocation of resources for 2010 will be similar to 2009. This is because there was not sufficient time to consider the full implications of the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes Table 2: 2009 Budgeted expenditure and income

Budget 2009 €’000

% of Total Budget

Expenditure – Operational Research – Food 18,080 13% Research – Agriculture 37,936 26% Knowledge Transfer and Education 32,087 22% Advisory Area Units 43,143 30% Prog. Admin and Corporate Services 12,496 9% Total 143,742 Income – Operational Research – Food 9,280 Research – Agriculture 10,577 Knowledge Transfer and Education 8,900 Advisory Area Units 18,297 Prog. Admin and Corporate Services 750 Total 47,804 Pensions 35,989

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Other income: State grant 131,927 Source: Integra There will be a reduction in staff in 2010 due primarily to the public sector moratorium and the non-replacement of staff. The projected staff numbers for the beginning and end of 2010 are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Projected staff numbers for 2010 Staff

Numbers01/07/09

Staff Numbers 31/12/2009*

Staff Numbers

31/12/2010**Programme Admin and Corporate Services 69 69 68Advisory Area Units 520 486 448Knowledge Transfer and Education 353 348 336Research – Agriculture 370 348 314Research – Food 149 131 116

Total 1461 1382 1282Source: HR Department *reflects normal retirements and known early retirements; and resignation/termination of fixed term/specific contracts **reflects normal retirements and resignation/termination of fixed term/specific contracts During the year, Teagasc continually reviews its programmes and may re-allocate resources to address emerging issues in a way that is consistent with the delivery of the objectives set out in the Statement of Strategy.

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2. FOOD RESEARCH PROGRAMME 2.1 Overview The Food Research Directorate (FRD) consists of two research centres: Ashtown Food Research Centre (AFRC) and Moorepark Food Research Centre (MFRC). Moorepark Technology Ltd, a Teagasc subsidiary, located at Moorepoark, offers pilot plant services for product development. The programme themes and main locations are: Table 4: Food Research Staff and Budget 2010 (based on 2009)

Staff Budget Prof* Other Total €m %

Food Safety 18 13 31 3.61 20Food Quality 23 16 39 4.70 26Food Health 18 4 22 5.78 32Food Ind Dev/MTL 10 17 27 3.97 22Management/Admin 16 15 31 TOTAL 85 66 151 18.08 100Source: CoreHR for staff numbers; Integra for budget *Prof. includes Researchers and Technologists The Teagasc food research programme spans a range of science and technology areas reflecting the ‘traditional’ technologies that underpin the main industry sectors, most notably meat, dairy and food ingredients. Annually, the FRD will pursue a programme consisting of the following components:

• Public research • Dissemination and technology transfer • Food training

The public research programme consists of 100 projects funded by exchequer funds and by external funding agencies that include Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food/FIRM, FSAI, Dairy Levy and EU. Dissemination, technology transfer and training consist of 14 projects. Dissemination consists of a number of activities, but especially the RELAY programme, which is managed by the FRD on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The technology transfer programme consists of the provision of research, consultancy and pilot plant services to food companies. Pilot plant services are provided mainly through Moorepark Technology Ltd.

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Table 4: Food Research – Performance Indicators 2010 (based on 2009) Performance Indicator Total MFRC AFRC

Project Details 1. No of projects /contracts completed 54 23 31 2. No of Projects started during Year 25 13 12 3. No Projects ongoing (excl above) 71 16 55 4. No of end-of-project reports completed on schedule 34 14 20 Walsh Fellows 5. No Walsh fellows completed – Masters 3 2 1 6. No Walsh fellows completed – PhD 20 9 11 Publications 7. No of publications - refereed 109 56 53 8. No of publications- technical 219 100 119 9. No of publications- popular 45 12 33 10. % of Researchers publishing A1 this yr. 100 100 100 11. Avg. no. A1 publications / researcher this yr. 2.5 2.5 2.5 Other Dissemination 12. No of training courses incl. in-service training 90 40 50 13. No of workshops 27 14 13 14. No of symposia 7 7 15. No. of Conferences 14 9 5 16. No. of Open Days 2 2 Projects and Funding 17. No of FIRM / Stimulus projects 69 29 40 18. No of Framework contracts 14 4 10 19. No of Commercial contracts 19 15 4 20. Amount of industry commissioned research and consultancy €2.96m €1.7m €1.26m Protection and exploitation of IP 21. No. of invention reports filed 11 9 2 22. No. of patents filed 7 6 1 23. No. exclusive evaluations 2 2 0 24. Income from evaluations €30k €30k 0 25. No. of license agreements 4 4 0 26. Income from licensing €10K €10k 0

2.2 Overall Objective The objective of the food research and associated technology development services and training programmes is to support the attainment of the highest standards of safety, quality and innovation in food products and ingredients in the Irish food industry. The 2010 Food Research Programme is divided into four programme areas:

• Food Safety • Food Quality • Food for Health • Food Industry Development • Moorepark Technology Ltd.

2.3 Programme Priorities for 2010 The overall focus of the 2010 Food Programme will be to support the development of a market oriented, competitive and innovative food sector, particularly in the growing ‘foods for health sector’, which meets the highest standards of quality and safety. In accordance with the aims of

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Teagasc’s new research Vision, new research programmes will be undertaken in the following areas:

• Development of functional foods for the metabolic syndrome, including obesity and gut health.

• Development of nutraceuticals from milk, plant, microbial and marine sources. In addition, Teagasc will try to establish Phase 1 of a new Food Bio-test facility at Moorepark which will primarily use the pig as a model for the human gut for pre-clinical validation of the health benefits of functional foods. Teagasc will participate, as a major partner, in two large national programmes, the Marine Functional Food Research Initiative and Food for Health Ireland. Teagasc will set up a new technology support programme for food SMEs in partnership with Enterprise Ireland. The following are the specific actions:

• Conduct research that underpins product quality and innovation in the Irish food industry. • Exploit developments in technology and the biosciences to drive innovation in functional

foods. • Provide an understanding of consumer demands and customer requirements to guide

innovation and competitiveness. • Conduct research on the microbiological and chemical safety of Irish food products. • Carry out a pro-active programme of technology transfer and advice to Irish food

companies and regulatory bodies. • Develop and provide nationally accredited education and training courses to the food

sector and regulatory bodies. • Provide specialist analytical and consultancy services to underpin food safety,

competitiveness and innovation. 2.4 Food Safety Food Safety Research will focus on assuring the microbiological and chemical safety of food produced in Ireland.

• The food safety microbial research programme will include research to provide a fundamental understanding of how key pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter and verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli) behave, survive, genetically adapt and can be controlled along the total farm to fork chain.

• Research will continue on the development and application of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) computer models to assess and manage the public health risk posed by key pathogens in particular food commodities. There are two European Framework (VI and VII) projects being undertaken in this area in addition to a national network. The outcomes of these risk assessments are actively contributing to national and international recommendations and policies for control of pathogens in the total food chain.

• In the area of emerging microbial food safety issues, research will continue to establish the risk posed by emerging pathogens, including emerging serogroups of verocytotoxigenic E. coli; and on developing resistance to biocides and antibiotics by microbial pathogens in the food chain.

• Research on control of micro-organisms will include the development and application of anti-microbial agents including novel biocontrol agents and approaches for the control of Campylobacter in poultry.

• The programme in chemical residues will focus on chemical contaminants in the Irish food supply. Tools will be developed and validated to test for chemical contaminants in

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foods, based on novel extraction technologies, mass spectrometry and biosensors. These technologies will be applied to risk assessment activities on know and emergent chemical contaminants and to monitoring of residues as part of the Food Safety Department’s designated status as a National Reference Laboratory.

• Research will be undertaken on the risk posed by Enterobacter sakasakii in infant formula and on pathogens that threaten the farmhouse cheese sector including Listeria monocytogenes.

• Teagasc will continue to work with the dairy industry on the problem of excessive chlorine levels in milk products.

Table 6 shows the 27 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio, 12 projects (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 6: Project portfolio for the food safety research programme

Project Number Title

MDAZ-0101-5969 SME support co-ordination.

MDBY-0101-5367 BIOCONTROL: bioactive ingredients for the control of undesirable bacteria in ready-to-eat foods.

MDDB-0101-5611 Research providing a knowledge base to support the sustainable development of the farmhouse cheese industry.

MDDB-0101-5654 Development of improved tools for detection of paratuberculosis in livestock. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in food and for the assessment of the risk of human exposure.

MDDB-0101-5691 Improved bio-traceability of unintended microorganisms and their substances in food and feed chains

MDDT-0101-5648 Replacement of gluten with a functional casein-based ingredient in bread

MDDT-0101-5649 Controlling Aggregation of food protein particles

MDDT-0101-5853 Artisan Food Technologist Support

NFSA-0101-5442 New technologies to screen multiple chemical contaminants in foods

NFSA-0101-5554 Investigations to establish the emergence of a range of new cytotoxic pathogens associated with cattle in Ireland

NFSA-0101-5555 Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (O157, O26 and O111) in Irish food animals

NFSA-0101-5566 Microbiological support services

NFSA-0101-5578 New approaches to detect anti-protozoan drug residues in food

NFSA-0101-5579 Novel Approach to Determine Untested Toxic Residues in Food

NFSA-0101-5635 Regulation of the acid tolerance response in Salmonella species and its effect on dietary control measures in cattle and pigs.

NFSA-0101-5638 Anti-microbial agents (bacteriophage and bacteriocins) for control of verocytotoxigenic E. coli at key stages in the beef chain

NFSA-0101-5640 National Food Residue Database

NFSA-0101-5704 Pathogenic Escherichia coli Network

NFSA-0101-5705 Improving the safety of beef and beef products for the consumer in production and processing

NFSA-0101-5706 Q-Pork Chains: Risk Assessment of Salmonella and Yersinia enterocolitica in pork from Farm to Fork

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NFSA-0101-5854 Genomics of Gram-negative food poisoning bacteria of animal origin

NFSA-0101-5855 Microbial Quantitative Risk Assessment Network of Ireland

NFSA-0101-5856

This project is based on an existing excellent foundation of research that is on-going at the major food research institutes on the Island, developing this into one integrated approach for Food Safety, Nutrition and Health. The project encompasses three

NFSA-0101-5954 Emergence of pathogens with resistance to biocides in use in the food industry

NFSA-0101-5965 Technologies and Systems to Enhance Poultry Safety and Quality

NFSA-0101-5984 Investigation of Bioactive Peptides in Food through the application of Mass Spectrometry Techniques

NFSA-0101-5993 Food Business Profit, Quality & Safety Risk Analysis

2.5 Food Quality The programme in food quality consists of research in: cheese and fermented dairy products; food ingredients; meat products and prepared consumer foods:

• Cheese and Fermented Dairy Products The programme will include a project, cheese 2030 which aims to establish a completely new technology platform for functional cheese manufacture. Other objectives will include developing new cheese cultures with improved cheese making properties and upgrading cheese manufacturing efficiency.

• Food Ingredients The objective of food ingredient research is to develop new ingredients with improved technological and nutritional attributes. Special attention will be given to technologies related to foods for the obese and for infant formula and to the improvement of the texture of low fat foods .

• Meat and meat products Food Matrix Characterisation: Product quality is underpinned by chemical and physical interactions between biopolymers and other molecules in foods, interactions which are as yet incompletely understood. Knowledge generation in this field will focus on understanding the links between ingredient composition, processing and storage occurring at the molecular and supra-molecular levels which are responsible for the quality of finished food products. Such knowledge will facilitate the targeted modification of product and optimisation of processes through intelligent design. Food Structure Manipulation: It is important to be able to identify how novel processing technologies and different processing conditions alter ingredient interactions within the food matrix. Nuclear magnetic resonance will be applied to understand how processing can change the structural organization of the molecules within a food matrix. This, together with confocal microscopy and already established digital imaging and instrumental textural methods will aid in understanding and optimizing initial processing parameters for enhanced end product quality. Extracting value from meat by-products will continue by mining for elements which that demonstrate beneficial bioactivity. In particular the focus will be on peptides which exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and antiproliferative activity.

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The molecular biology research programme will continue to focus on the identification and characterisation of differentially expressed genes and gene products (proteins) associated with meat quality traits. Understanding how molecular components respond to external stimuli (pre- and post-slaughter) will contribute to future optimisation of management systems for the delivery of consistent quality meat to attain market specifications. Ongoing research activities are also addressing the need for healthier, value added and functional meat products. Understanding the physico-chemical and structural properties of foods systems will aid the development of healthier more nutritious products. Products will be developed which are lower in fat and sodium content. Healthier meat products will be developed through the addition of flavonoids, phytosterols, fibres, prebiotics and probiotic cultures. A combination of minimal processing, hurdle technology and active packaging will be used to produce safer and more stable pork products of high sensory and nutritional quality. The beneficial effects of improving the fatty acid profile in beef, through dietary intervention, will continue to be investigated. The implementation of a grading system for beef palatability has been assessed and the final outcome presented to industry. Interaction with relevant stakeholders will continue as required regarding potential uptake by the sector. Other objective systems for the evaluation of quality in fresh meat and meat products will continue to be evaluated. Novel alternative MAP processes will be investigated for their influence on colour stability, safety and quality. The use of MAP technology for some of the nutritionally enhanced (PUFA enriched high antioxidant) products will also be investigated.

• Prepared Consumer Foods Direct, non-destructive food quality measurement will continue to be addressed through the application of spectroscopic fingerprint methods together with powerful NMR profiling approaches in combination with multivariate data analysis tools. Molecular characterisation of food matrices by application of hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy will be advanced allowing the generation of new knowledge concerning the spatial location of molecular species involved in quality. Enhancement of cereal food quality for defined population sectors (e.g. the elderly) will be pursued through the application of innovative formulation and processing (extrusion) methodologies. Research on the development of low glycaemic index (GI) cereal foods and the validation of a novel glycaemic index assay will be pioneered. Table 7 shows the 62 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio; 16 (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 7: Project portfolio for the food quality research programme

Project Number Title

MDAZ-0102-5431 Exploitation of cheese flora for flavour diversity and functionality (FloFlaFun).

MDAZ-0102-5433 Understanding the biochemistry and enzymology of cheese ripening and development of novel strategies to enhance the biogenesis of cheese flavour.

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MDAZ-0102-5434 Post-genomics of Lactobacillus helveticus DPC4571: milking the genome sequence of L. helveticus starter cultures for commercially valuable enzymes.

MDAZ-0102-5938 Natural ingredient cheese solutions

MDAZ-0102-5952 Novel strategies for optimization of the cheddar cheese manufacturing process

MDAZ-0102-5985 Low-fat Healthy Cheese Alternatives

MDBY-0102-5458 Phage-insensitive cultures for the production of fermented and probiotic foods

MDDT-0102-5454 Development of cheese varieties with flavour and functional attributes suitable for evolving consumer markets.

MDDT-0102-5857 Cheese 2030 –New Technology Platform for engineering cheese structure and function in model systems

MDDT-0102-5979 Upgrading of cheese manufacturing efficiency

MDDT-0102-5980 Fortification of cheesemilk with concentrated buttermilk and use of phospholipase to increase cheese yield and/or improve texture of reduced fat cheese

MDAZ-0103-5551 Functional beverages containing health-promoting prebiotic milk oligosaccharides.

MDBY-0103-5363 FUNLAC: Lacticin-based ingredients for biopreservative and functional food applications.

MDDT-0103-5450 Development of bioactive oligosaccharide-enriched ingredients derived from whey

MDDT-0103-5452 Biologically active complexes of bovine alpha-lactalbumin

MDDT-0103-5590 Development of food ingredients for modulation of glycaemia

MDDT-0103-5606 Characterization of creaminess perception in multiphase food emulsions by dynamic microstructural and rheological analyses

MDDT-0103-5607 Nano-fibrillar milk protein assemblies as precursors to novel food structures

MDDT-0103-5632 Investigation of stickiness of milk powder for the purpose of improved process control in milk powder manufacture

MDDT-0103-5820 Development of healthy spreads enriched with beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and low in trans fatty acids.

MDDT-0103-5821 Effects of selected potential new ingredients on composition, processing characteristics and stability properties of infant formula

MDDT-0103-5947 BioA-Lac - Bioactive protein complexes in bovine milk

MDDT-0103-5949 Re-engineering process technology for the manufacture of infant formula

MDDT-0103-5950 In-situ starch modifications in food formulations using protein.

MDDT-0103-5951 Water activity control and texture stabilisation of high protein snack bars

MDDT-0103-5953 Biosensitives Advanced Stabilisation (BAS)

MDDT-0103-5982 Improving spray drier performance by means of air dehumidification

MDDT-0103-5983 Design and development of realistic food models with well characterised micro- and macro-structure and composition (DREAM)

MDDT-0103-5986 Improved whey permeate drying using high pressure gas/liquid dosing during spray atomisation

MDDT-0103-5987 Performance monitoring of membrane separation processes in order to improve process efficiency and product quality

MDDT-0103-5991 Development of novel food structures which deliver engineered flavour and health benefits

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NFFM-0103-5718 Improving the quality of pork and pork products for the consumer

NFFP-0103-5708 Hyperspectral imaging system for non-sistructive assessment of mushroom quality and shelf life prediction.

NFFM-0104-5409 Healthy fatty acid-enriched fresh beef: implications for shelf-life, flavour and the health of the consumer

NFFM-0104-5420 Interaction of gene expression pathways, breed and diet on the nutritive and flavour aspects of pigmeat.

NFFM-0104-5422 Analysis of the myofibrillar and connective tissue components of meat tenderness and their interaction with post-slaughter interventions.

NFFM-0104-5423 Optimisation of techniques for the development of heat-and-serve products from lower-value beef and lamb cuts.

NFFM-0104-5580 Developing novel convenient meat based products by application of High Pressure Processing (HPMeat)

NFFM-0104-5636 Nutraceutical and Functional Food Bioactive Peptides in Beef, Bovine Offals and Fermented Meat Products

NFFM-0104-5643 Identification and molecular characterisation of genes influencing Irish pork meat quality

NFFM-0104-5644 Biomarkers to Authenticate Irish Grass-fed Beef

NFFM-0104-5709 Evaluation of the Quality of Pre-Sliced Cooked Turkey Hams by Computer Vision System

NFFM-0104-5716 European Network for Pig genomics

NFFM-0104-5717 Improving the Quality and Safety of Beef and Beef Products for the Consumer in Production and Processing

NFFM-0104-5957 Understanding the physico-chemistry of the meat matrix and its potential as a delivery system for added bioactive compounds

NFFM-0104-5960 Rapid, Objective and Quantitative Determination of Meat Quality by Non-Destructive and Non-Contact Hyperspectral Imaging System

NFFM-0104-5962 The use of novel processing technologies for improving the quality and accelerating the processing of meats

NFFP-0105-5430 Tracing food commodities in Europe.

NFFP-0105-5548 Novel fruit products from apples and other tree fruit (ISAFRUIT)

NFFP-0105-5645 Replacement of gluten with a functional casein-based ingredient in bread

NFFP-0105-5711 Technology and process optimization to minimize losses of polyacetylenes in carrots

NFFP-0105-5712 Reformulation of reduced sodium chilled ready meals with improved nutritional, safety and sensory properties through inclusion of health enhancing ingredients.

NFFP-0105-5713 Development of functional foods with waste/by-products of fruit, vegetable and fish processing

NFFP-0105-5714 Product reformulation and in vitro testing of low glycaemic breads

NFFP-0105-5715 Functional properties of beta glucans from oats, barley and seaweed.

NFFP-0105-5864 Integrated Irish Phyto Food Network: Tracing phytochemicals from farm to fork

NFFP-0105-5865 Marine Functional Foods Research Initiative

NFFP-0105-5961 Exploring the potential of potato peel waste as a source of phytopharmaceuticals, bio-active peptides and as a control measure for potato nematodes

NFFP-0105-5963 Healthy cereal-based snacks from by-products of the milling, malting, brewing and cider industries

NFFP-0105-5964 Healthy cereal-based snacks for the elderly

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2.6 Food for Health Food for Health research will be aimed at the further development of probiotic cultures for food and feed use, and on the role of conjugated linoleic acid-producing cultures in gut health. Partnership with UCC in the SFI funded Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre will continue to be an important aspect of the programme. A major new research programme will be initiated on bioactive ingredients for foods targeted at the obese. This will be aimed initially at developing an understanding of nutrient-induced gut signals that influence food intake, food metabolism and fat storage. A new nutraceutical programme will be initiated utilising the new Bio-analytical Research Facility in Ash town aimed at discovery and development of bioactive ingredients from natural sources with potential for use in functional foods and beverages. Specific priorities in the nutraceutical programme will include:

• Marine Functional Foods Research The identification, extraction and purification of bioactive compounds from marine origin material for inclusion in functional foods with commercial potential. Three potential sources of bio-active molecules from the marine environment will be examined: marine algae, marine discards and by-products and aquaculture resources. Biological molecules examined will include polysaccharides, carotenoids, phlorotannins, peptides, amino acids and fatty acids.

• Phytochemical Network Research into a farm to fork assessment of phytochemicals present in Irish grown fruits and vegetables. The target phytochemicals and their respective targets are (a) Isothiocyanates. (Brassica); (b) Polyacetylenes; (Carrots); (c) Flavonols (Onions).

• Fruit and vegetable by-product utilization Research will focus on the extraction, purification and characterization of novel and known compounds from by-products of fruit and vegetables. In particular sources such as apple pomace will be examined as a source of polyphenols for inclusion in functional foods. Potato peels will be examined as a source of glycoalkaloids a potential nematocidal and pharmaceutical agent.

• Structure elucidation Chemical structures of purified bioactive compounds extracted from various food and marine sources will be determined by the combined use of mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The identification of active compounds from complex mixtures will be aided by the use of both LC-MS and LC-NMR, with these methods being particularly valuable for screening of candidate compounds for further isolation and study. Database and repository of all the bioactive compounds identified in the research project will be maintained.

• Healthier foods Development of healthier meats and meat, fruit and bakery products will continue with the reduction of salt, fat and gluten (bakery) and through the inclusion of health promoting nutraceuticals, phytochemicals, and other functional ingredients. Table 8 shows the 22 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio; four (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year.

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Table 8: Project portfolio for the food for health research programme Project Number Title

MDAZ-0106-5939 Mining milk for bioactive components

MDAZ-0106-5975 Glyco-prospecting for health promoting activity

MDBY-0106-5271 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre Core 1 - Microbe/microbe interactions in the human gut

MDBY-0106-5274 APC: production of microbial metabolites by gut bacteria

MDBY-0106-5840 Gut microbiota as an indicator and agent of nutritional health in elderly Irish subjects

MDBY-0106-5841 National Functional Food Research Centre

MDBY-0106-5842 Development of E. sakazakki Antimicrobial Casein-peptides for Infant Formula Protection

MDBY-0106-5843 Membership of The International Milk Genomics Consortium.

MDBY-0106-5858 Impact of exogenous factors in the development of allergy in infants : (EFRAIM)

MDBY-0106-5932 Health-promoting Bioactives from Cider Yeast

MDBY-0106-5941 Early Infant Development: National Functional Foods Research Centre

MDBY-0106-5942 Screening for bioactives that have a positive effect on body weight

MDBY-0106-5967 Functional genomics of two commercial lactobacilli from humans and animals.

MDBY-0106-5971 Gut Microbiota

MDBY-0106-5972 Probiotic lactobacilli survival and impact in the porcine gut

MDBY-0106-5974 Identification of bioactive components of food that could suppress food intake and reduce body weight

MDDB-0106-5457 Stabilization of probiotic cultures by encapsulation and entrapment for use in functional foods

MDDB-0106-5647 Heart friendly foods: Identification and exploitation of food components linked to heart health

MDDB-0106-5651 Increased viability of probiotics during and after spray-drying

MDDB-0106-5692 Forum for allergy prevention

MDDT-0106-5940 Pre-commercial scale-up and manufacture of Bioactive Food Ingredients

MDPD-0106-5567 Development of functional foods for obesity and gut health.

2.7 Food Industry Development The Food Industry Development programme will consist of the following elements:

• SME Innovation Support Service Teagasc has recently launched a major new programme aimed at the provision of technological support to food SMEs. This will be implemented in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and will consist of a team of 12 technologists providing a package of services to high potential SMEs including R&D, market research, specialised training and consultancy. The new SME Technology Support Service will act as a conduit for the transfer and conversion of knowledge

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into business benefits. The service will be delivered from a world class base of food research programmes already established in Teagasc and by experienced food scientists and technologists. The service will result in the increased effectiveness of the Teagasc Food Directorate in the transfer of knowledge to the food industry. In particular, it will provide greater access by high potential food SMEs to the knowledge and facilities of the food centres. The programme of technical advice to artisan food producers will continue from the food centres in association with the advisory service.

• Specialist Food Training and Consultancy Work will continue on providing specialist food training for the food industry, regulatory bodies and state development agencies. Also, Teagasc will continue to work with other food development agencies on sectoral development programmes for the food industry. Approximately 1,000 people, primarily at management level, will be trained during the year from all sectors and sizes of the food industry.

• Technology Transfer Teagasc will continue to run the RELAY project, which disseminates the research output from Irish institutions involved in the FIRM measure. The organisation will carry out a range of technology transfer activities, including commissioned research and corporate training programmes. Pilot plant services will be provided through the Teagasc subsidiary, MTL and through AFRC.

• Market Studies To ensure that technical developments are consistent with consumer demands the market research is focused around two areas; (a) food and health and (b) consumer behaviour in relation to novel technologies. Current research projects are funded by FIRM, the Health Research Board and Teagasc. In addition, research will continue on technology transfer and innovation management under a FIRM funded project and will contribute to an FP7 proposal in these areas. Table 9 shows the five projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio for this programme. Table 9: Project portfolio for the food industry development research programme

Project Number Title

NFFK-0107-5744 Healthy Eating and Consumer Behaviour using Food Related Lifestyle Segments

NFFK-0107-5862 An econometric analysis of the impact of economic change on food expenditure in Ireland and the attitudinal and behavioural determinants of food choice and health in Irish adults

NFFK-0107-5863 National food consumption databases for food safety and nutrition

NFFK-0107-5956 An in-depth investigation of Irish consumer and industry acceptability of novel food technologies

NFFK-0107-5973 Animal cloning and the food chain: a study of Irish stakeholder opinion

2.8 Moorepark Technology Ltd (MTL) Moorepark Technology Limited, a Teagasc subsidiary, will continue to be actively marketed as a commercial pilot plant service for product development. It will provide a pilot plant rental service as its sole business activity for 2010. This service will be actively marketed to four customer groups as follows: Teagasc public researches, commercial MTL shareholders, other

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Irish food companies (non-shareholders) and Multinational food enterprises. The pilot plant services will include the following:

• Rental of time on MTL pilot plant equipment for research and development • Training of food industry personnel • Small-scale contract manufacture of product for market development and early stage

market supply. • Analytical services in connection with pilot plant use by customers.

The summary budget for MTL for 2010 is set out in Table 10. Table 10: Summary Budget for MTL for 2010 (based on 2009)

€ Estimated income 1,300,000 Estimated costs (including depreciation) 1,103,000 Estimated interest earned is 6,000 Net profit estimated is 12,000 Capital expenditure for 2010 is estimated to be 100,000

MTL hopes to initiate a new capital development programme involving the construction of custom modules to be occupied by long-term substantial users of the company’s pilot plant.

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3. AGRICULTURE RESEARCH PROGRAMME 3.1 Overview The 2010 Agriculture Research Programme of Activities is divided into five main programme areas:

• Animal • Crops • Environment • Economics and Rural Research • Grassland Research and Innovation

The Organic farm research activity was integrated into the Knowledge Transfer and Education Directorate (KTE) in 2009 to deliver a more cost effective and focused programme reflecting the knowledge requirements of the sector to realise sectoral targets. Each programme area contains a number of sub-programme areas. Table 11 outlines the agriculture research programmes and sub-programmes. Table 11: Agriculture research programmes and sub-programmes Animal Research Economics and Rural Research Sub-programmes: • Genetic improvement of animals • Physiology of reproduction, growth and

lactation • Animal health well-being • Animal facilities, labour, automation and

energy efficiency • BETTER farms* • Animal nutrition and product quality

Sub-programmes: • Agricultural, trade and environmental

policy analysis • Farm, processor, retail and consumer

economics • Spatial analysis • Rural and agri-food innovation and

development • Environmental economics

Crops Research Grass land Research and Innovation Sub-programmes: • Crop agronomy and sustainable crop

production systems • Crop improvement and biotechnology • Energy crops and bio-processing • BETTER farms Environment Research Sub-programmes: • Nutrient efficiency • Greenhouse gas and climate change • Water quality/risk assessment incl mini-

catchments • Soils • Agri-environmental products and

services/agri-ecology • BETTER farms

Sub-programmes: • Grass breeding including grass

establishment and renovation • Grass growth, sward dynamics and

utilisation • Soil fertility and nutrient use efficiency • Grass as a feed and feeding value of

grass • Grazing management and conservation • Sustainable production systems and

systems analysis

* Business, Environment Technology through Training, Extension and Research.

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Each sub-programme has a number of on-going research projects. Those ending in 2009 will be replaced with new projects selected from the 2010 project call process which is currently underway. The suite of new projects for 2010 will be agreed in November with the actual number approved to start in 2010 contingent on staff and budgetary availability. An approximation of the funding resources for 2010 allocated to the agriculture research programme areas will be similar to 2009 and is outlined in the Table 12. Table 12: 2009 staff numbers and estimated budget for agriculture research

Programme/Research Centre Staff Estimated Budget Prof Other Total €m % Animal – Dairy (Moorepark) 24 52 76 10 26Animal – Drystock (Grange) 10 62 72 5.5 14.5Animal – Drystock (Athenry) 7 42 49 4.5 12Animal - Bioscience 3 8 11 2 5Crops 20 60 80 6.5 17Environment 20 66 86 6.5 17Economics and rural research 16 8 24 2 5Directorate 4 6 10 1 3.5

Total 104 304 408 38 100 3.2 Overall Objective The objective of the agriculture research programme is to generate and assimilate independent and authoritative knowledge to support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and broader bio-economy that will underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability’.

3.3 Programme Priorities for 2010 The planned programme of activities remains focused on knowledge generation, procurement and transfer is firmly set in the context of the Teagasc Statement of Strategy 2008 – 2010. The development of the 2010 Progamme of Activities has placed significant emphasis on

• Achieving greater integration within and between Directorates and with key supply chain participants and other developmental agencies.

• Improving the effectiveness and efficiency in programme delivery • Refining and improving the suggested Industry Impact Indicators. • Developing a long-term plan for physical resource needs of the agricultural research

programme. • Focus the limited resources in a manner that will deliver the maximum measurable

benefits/outcomes. The performance indicators for 2010 will be in line with those of 2009 shown in Table 13. These are included for indicative purposes only.

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Table 13: 2009 Performance Indicators for Agriculture Research Performance Indicator Total Bioscience Moorepk Grange Athenry Oak Park J. Castle RERC

Project Details 27. No of projects /contracts completed 52 2 12 0 2 13 7 16 28. No of Projects started during Year 43 4 16 8 1 3 5 6 29. No Projects ongoing (excl above) 122 5 19 19 13 16 12 38 30. No of end-of-project reports completed

on schedule 65 2 8 0 13 17 9 16

Walsh Fellows 31. No Walsh fellows completed – Masters 11 1 4 0 2 4 32. No Walsh fellows completed – PhD 29 1 4 5 3 2 7 7 Publications 33. No of publications - refereed 136 13 30 15 16 15 25 22 34. No of publications - technical 188 10 40 30 42 21 25 20 35. No of publications - popular 143 8 40 40 10 19 16 10 36. % of Researchers publishing A1 this yr. 100 100 100 100 100 90 100 90 37. Avg. no. A1 publications / researcher this

yr. 2.4 2.5 3.0 2.5 2.5 1.9 2.2 1.9

Other Dissemination 38. No of - training courses incl. in-service

training 26 0 3 2 2 3 13 3

39. No. of workshops 9 3 6 40. No of symposia 2 2 41. No of – Conferences 15 1 0 1 1 10 2 42. No of Open Days 11 0 6 2 1 2 0 Projects and Funding 43. No of FIRM / Stimulus projects 0 0 0 44. No of Framework contracts 7 2 2 1 0 0 2 45. No of Commercial contracts 0 0 0 46. Amount of industry commissioned

research and consultancy €6.29M €0.22M €2.62M €0.34M €0.22M €1.0M €1.2M €0.69M

Protection and exploitation of IP 47. No. of invention reports filed 1 48. No. of patents filed 1 49. No. exclusive evaluations 0 50. Income from evaluations 0 51. No. of license agreements 0 52. Income from licensing 0

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3.4 Animal Research Programme Irish agriculture is dominated by livestock production, in particular the ruminant sector. Beef and dairy production each account for approximately one third of agricultural output. Over 90% of the agricultural area consists of pasture, grass silage or hay, and rough grazing, indicating the importance of ruminant production. The cattle herd is almost 7 M head, and is based on a breeding herd of just over 2m cows, evenly divided between beef and dairy cows. Dairy cows are concentrated in the south of the country (south east and south west) while beef cows are concentrated in the west and north-west. Dairy cows are practically all Friesian or Holstein-Friesian (96% in 2006) while beef cows are a mixture of mainly crossbreds. Approximately 90% of beef and dairy production is exported, while the percentage of sheep meat production which is exported has risen to 80% in recent years. Ireland is the fifth largest sheep producer in the EU, and is the largest net exporter. However, after rapid growth in breeding ewes from less than 2m in 1980 to a peak of almost 5m in 1992, there has been a steady decline since and the breeding ewe flock stands at 3m in 2007. The objective of the animal programme is:

• To generate and procure new knowledge to support innovation, technology transfer and education in the key areas of Irish livestock production including breeding, nutrition, growth, reproduction, health, product quality, labour efficiency and facilities that will underpin the future profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of the sector.

The programme achieves its objective through the delivery of research and innovation projects in six sub-programme areas:

• Genetic Improvement of Animals • Physiology of Reproduction, Growth and Lactation • Animal Health Well-Being • Animal Facilities, Labour, Automation and Energy Efficiency • BETTER Farms • Animal Nutrition and Product Quality

These sub-programme areas are not independent and are linked so that the knowledge generated and procured is integrated to achieve the overall programme objective. 3.4.1 Genetic Improvement of Animals The objectives of this sub-programme are:

• To undertake research including validation studies and innovation activities focusing on identifying genotypes that have greater profit potential under grass-based systems of production using both quantitative and systems biology approaches

• To develop comprehensive genetic indices to best describe the genetic merit of cattle and sheep for Irish production systems as well as develop breeding programmes to ensure sustainable genetic gain

• To identify genotypes for greater profitability through improved lactation yield and production (beef and sheep), feed efficiency, reproductive performance, resistance to diseases and improved product quality.

• To develop the use of a systems biology approach, linked to the molecular biology studies in Sub-Programmes 02 03 (Reproduction, Growth and Lactation) and 02 09

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(Nutrition and Product Quality), to understand the biological basis of fertility, health and feed efficiency traits.

• To contribute and participate in the knowledge transfer and education processes to support stakeholder innovation based on the knowledge generated and procured by the sub-programme.

Table 14 shows the 14 research projects which are included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio for this sub-programme. Five of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 14: Project portfolio for the genetic improvement of animal sub-programme

Project Number Title

ABAN-0201-5678 Development of a DNA bank resource for Irish beef cattle

AYSP-0201-5389 Evaluation of the impact of the pedigree sheep breed improvement programme on genetic merit for growth and carcass traits of lambs.

AYSP-0201-5909 Potential for use of genetic markers in sheep breeding programmes

GEBE-0201-5470 Effects of genetic index on production and carcass traits of beef cattle

GEBE-0201-5522 The effect of production system and divergent selection for residual feed intake on the biological efficiency of suckler beef production.

GEBE-0201-5924 Establishing a Teagasc twinning suckler beef herd.

MKDC-0201-5246 Evaluation of Norwegian Red and Norwegian Red x Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle under Irish production circumstances.

MKDC-0201-5499 Genetics of predisposition to tuberculosis in Irish dairy cattle

MKDC-0201-5501 The influence of animal genetic potential across a variety of futuristic pasture-based systems of milk production

MKDC-0201-5502 Evaluation of Jersey, Jersey x Holstein-Friesian, Holstein-Friesian, Norwegian Red and Montbeliarde under Irish grass-based spring milk production systems, with particular emphasis on fertility, health and feed efficiency

MKDC-0201-5666 Genetics of improved health, fertility, grass dry matter intake and feed efficiency in Irish dairy cattle

MKDC-0201-5791 Innovative and practical breeding tools for improved dairy products from more robust dairy cattle

MKDC-0201-5883 Genomic selection in dairy cattle

MKDC-0201-5889 National breeding objective and breeding programs for dairy and beef cattle in Ireland

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Development of systems biology approaches and tools to investigate the genetic basis of bovine and ovine traits of economic importance (Fertility; Health; Feed efficiency).

• Maternal Indices-for beef and sheep (in conjunction with the BETTER Farm sub-programme).

• Develop national strategy for genetic improvement of sheep and beef cattle Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Double the rate of genetic improvement from €5 to €10/dairy cow/annum (2014) • Increase reliability of genomic proofs by five percentage points by 2013 • Achieving 50% of dairy cow inseminations from genomically selected bulls by 2012 • Implementation of genomic selection for the beef sector by 2012

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3.4.2 Physiology of Reproduction, Growth and Lactation The objectives of this sub-programme are:

• To elucidate the biological causes of reproductive failure with a view to devising strategies to improve reproductive performance in cattle and sheep.

• To develop ovulation control, oestrous synchronization and heat detection (including automation) and AI system to facilitate increased usage of AI and accelerate genetic improvement.

• To undertake research studies and innovation activities focusing on gaining a better understanding of the partitioning of nutrients into milk and meat and identifying key genetic, endocrine and metabolic differences between biologically efficient and inefficient animals.

• To further our understanding of the gene and gene networks that regulates the processes of mammogenesis, lactogenesis and galactopoiesis in the mammary gland of the dairy cow.

The research programme will encompass studies on gene regulation and protein expression as they relate to growth and function of adipose and skeletal muscle tissue. It will study the interactions between genotype and diet at rumen, post-rumen, organ (e.g. liver) and tissue (e.g. muscle, adipose) level. Table 15 shows the 13 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Four of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 15: Project portfolio for the physiology of reproduction, growth and lactation sub-programme

Project Number Title

ABAN-0203-5517 Uterine gene expression in cows of high and low fertility

ABAN-0203-5677 The effect of stage of cycle and steroid environment on the uterine proteome of the cow and differences from plasma.

ABAN-0203-5679 Uterine and embryo gene expression of cows with high and low polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations

ABAN-0203-5686 Design and implementation of a web based microarray analysis system.

ABAN-0203-5756 Identification of the effects of short-term dietary restriction on gene expression in the anterior pituitary, hypothalamic, preoptic and the ventromedial hypothalamus tissues of cattle.

ABAN-0203-5759 Examination of the expression of genes associated with muscle growth and development in beef cattle of varying breeds with high or low growth rate potential

ABAN-0203-5812 Identification of uterine proteomic and genomic differences in dairy heifers with different levels of embryo survival rate.

ABAN-0203-5959 Stokes lecturer SFI

AYBC-0203-5546 Repeatability and heritability of metabolic hormones in the cow

MKDC-0203-5665 Bovine snpChip genome localisation of production and disease resistance genes

MKDC-0203-5667 Relationships among maternal environment, fetal development, follicle numbers and fertility in cattle

MKDC-0203-5672 Increasing the use of artificial insemination to advance genetic progress and improve fertility in dairy cows

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MKDC-0203-5890 The effects of strategic micronutrient supplementation on the reproductive performance of dairy cows

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Ovulation control/heat synchronisation (beef and dairy cows), heat detection (including automation) and biosensor approaches.

• Beef cow nutrition-reproduction (in conjunction with the BETTER Farm sub-programme).

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Reduce calving interval in dairy and beef cows by five and three days, respectively, by 2014.

• 70 % of replacement heifers in dairy herds bred from AI sires by 2014 • Increase lambs reared/ewe increased from 1.3 to 1.4 by 2014

3.4.3 Animal Health and Well-Being The objective of this sub-programme is to undertake research studies and innovation activities focusing on maintaining healthy national livestock herds based on effective disease control in a welfare-friendly and sustainable environment. The specific objectives are to:

• Develop our understanding of host-pathogen interactions to underpin effective disease preventative measures.

• Promote understanding of and approach to animal health within a systems biology framework.

• Develop reliable molecular markers that will identify carrier and affected animals. • Develop on-farm herd health/flock strategies to reduce disease incidence (linked with the

Animal Nutrition and Product Quality sub-programme). • Breed animals with enhanced disease resistance by either conventional or genomic-based

selection (linked to the Genetic Improvement of Animals sub-programme). • Promote sustainable pharmacological (anthelmintic and antibiotic) usage. • Characterise and manage animal stress/well-being in livestock production. • Develop husbandry and management strategies to improve animal well-being.

Table 16 shows the 14 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 16: Project portfolio for the animal health and well-being sub-programme

Project Number Title

ABAN-0204-5477 Animal welfare index (AWI) scientific assessment of farm animal welfare in Ireland

ABAN-0204-5741 Improved control of respiratory disease in weaned calves through development of new nanoparticle vaccines.

ABAN-0204-5742 Effects of abrupt weaning and truck transportation of beef calves on physiological mediators of the stress response and gene expression changes in circulating neutrophils.

ABAN-0204-5743 A HACCP approach to managing and controlling bovine respiratory disease and addressing health-control costs on suckler beef farms.

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ABAN-0204-5905 Support study for the identification of potential needs and possibilities for an integrated European infrastructure network of animal facilities in ruminant physiology and breeding.

ABAN-0204-5929 Cellular and molecular effects of short chain fatty acids and non-esterified fatty acids on innate and adaptive immunity in cattle

AYSP-0204-5493 Establishing the information database required to enable the development of a GIS-based forecasting model for the control of fascioliasis in Ireland

AYSP-0204-5674 Effects of shearing strategies on ewe and lamb performance and management implications.

AYSP-0204-5685 The association of loci the MHC complex with genetic resistance/susceptibility to GI nematodes in sheep

AYSP-0204-5687 Molecular approaches to identifying nematode species and studying the genetic basis for benzimidazole resistance in ovine nematodes

AYSP-0204-5696 Improving ewe fertility following AI by extending the life of fresh semen and defining the basis for breed effects on conception rate to cervical AI with frozen-thawed semen

MKDC-0204-5894 Development of optimal mastitis control programmes and procedures sustainable within and applicable to the Irish dairy industry

MKDC-0204-5900 Investigation of prevalence, risk factors, and impact of non-regulated infectious diseases in Irish dairy herds.

MKDC-0204-5902 Epidemiology of calf survival on dairy farms

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Biomarkers associated with disease resistance • The application of new technologies (SNP chips, Genomic Selection, Next Generation

Sequencing) toward improved animal breeding • Optimised pasture management systems for parasite control • Service provider training and outreach • Disease diagnosis and control programmes for specific diseases (disease portfolio) –

Mastitis/Lameness/Parasites/Infectious Diseases Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Reduced incidence of infectious diseases in national livestock • Identify (by 2011) biomarkers/SNPs for detection of weanlings at risk of respiratory

disease following weaning/transport. • Implementation of precision animal management strategies to ameliorate stress effects

and inform National and EU policy of scientific outcomes. 3.4.4 Animal Facilities, Labour, Automation and Energy Efficiency The objective of this sub-programme is to undertake research studies and innovation activities focusing on reducing farm labour and fossil fuel energy requirements while maintaining profitability, competitiveness and sustainability. The specific objectives are to:

• Develop facilities to increase labour efficiency in relation to animal welfare requirements • Promote automation and the development and application of new technology • Reduce fossil fuel dependence • Develop low fixed cost infrastructure (accommodation and waste management)

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There are six projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio shown in Table 17. One is (highlighted) due to finish before the end of 2009. Table 17: Project portfolio for the animal facilities, labour, automation and energy efficiency sub-programme

Project Number Title

GEBE-0206-5586 Development of a management template for labour efficient beef cow farmers post decoupling.

MKDC-0206-5497 Development of a robot attachment arm and teat sensing system for an automatic milking system

MKDC-0206-5876 Providing technical advice to ADAS OWP project

MKDC-0206-5897 Preliminary investigation of economic, labour and cow production efficiency of automatic, side-by-side and rotary milking systems

MKDC-0206-5898 Design and development of a automated teat disinfectant system

MKDC-0206-5899 Strategies to reduce the fossil fuel use in milk production

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Easy care sheep, beef and dairy • Automation

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Improved energy efficiency on-farm (reduced energy input/unit output) • Improved labour efficiency on-farm (reduced man hours/unit output) • Better low cost infrastructure for animal, feed and manure management.

3.4.5 BETTER Farms A new Teagasc initiative developed from the Foresight study is the BETTER Farm Programme. The initiative is focused on supporting farmer innovation through the adoption and application of new and existing technologies to improve their profitability, competitiveness and sustainability. BETTER farms are based on the principle that if the knowledge generated or procured by Teagasc is to be adopted widely by farmers a period of on-farm evaluation is required. The key elements of the initiative are high levels of farmer participation oriented towards their technological needs, based on a whole farm approach that facilitates co-learning by all stakeholders including farmers, industry and Teagasc staff, both research and advisory. This process will facilitate the validation (or otherwise) and fine tuning of new and existing technologies for the local environment prior to wider adoption by farmers in the region. The BETTER Farm initiative will deliver technologies relevant to local opportunities and environment thereby improving their adoption to improve farm profitability and sustainability. The common elements of the initiative across enterprises are the selection of the BETTER farmer group, setting production efficiency benchmarks, monitoring technical and financial performance to measure impact, promoting technology transfer and the identification of new knowledge needs. The objective of the BETTER Livestock Farm Sub-Programme is

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• To undertake knowledge transfer and innovation activities focused on the evaluation of new knowledge/technology prior to it widespread adoption at farm level.

Table 18 shows the seven research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. One of these (highlighted) is due to finish before the end of the year. Table 18: Project portfolio for the BETTER farms sub-programme

Project Number Title

AYSP-0207-5726 Establishment of Technology Evaluation and Transfer for Hill sheep production in the west of Ireland

GEBE-0207-5752 TET Suckler beef farms

GEBE-0207-5922 Suckler beef systems research farm

GEBE-0207-5925 Beef production systems from autumn calving beef herds

MKDC-0207-5255 Winter milk production

MKDC-0207-5668 Development of farming systems for the future

MKDC-0207-5799 Development of a benchmarking system to increase the sustainability of Irish Dairy Farmers

Suggested Industry Impact indicators • Establish the agreed number of BETTER beef farms by 2011 based on the agreed selection

criteria. • The implementation and completion of the agreed monitoring/measurement programme and

the achievement of the agreed benchmarks performance indicators by 2012. • The number of full farmer interaction events with visits, discussion groups, etc. 3.4.6 Animal Nutrition and Product Quality The Animal Nutrition and Product Quality sub-programme includes research projects that attempt to alter the intake and utilisation of nutrients by the animal. These projects emphasise diet manipulation (e.g. supplements, alternative forages) and include research on the effects of herbage genetics/genomics and animal genetics/genomics on nutrient utilisation. However, the sub-programme straddles the animal (including the biosciences) and grassland research programmes. The herbage animal interface - feed intake, feed evaluation and rumen function – integrate with the grassland programme, whilst nutrient utilisation and tissue metabolism (post-absorption) cross over with the Physiology of Reproduction, Growth and Lactation sub-programme. The objective of this sub-programme is to undertake research studies and innovation activities to underpin the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of grass based animal production systems by focusing on:

• Reducing the cost per unit animal product by managing the animal’s intake and utilisation of grass and forage nutrients through diet manipulation and exploiting the new opportunities offered by herbage and animal genetics/genomics.

• Developing diets, animals and systems to reduce emissions to the environment.

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Table 19 shows the 11 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 19: Project portfolio for the Animal Nutrition and Product Quality sub-programme

Project Number Title

ABAN-0209-5928 Examination of the molecular control of feed intake and energetic efficiency in cattle

ABAN-0209-5946 Nitrogen isotopic fractionation as a marker for Nitrogen-use efficiency in dairy cows.

GEBE-0209-5479 Genetics of Residual Feed Intake in Beef Cattle

GEBE-0209-5481 Mycotoxins in silage

MKDC-0209-5673 Comparison of TMR and pasture feeding systems on milk production, BCS and metabolic profiles, and reproduction

MKDC-0209-5755 Development of a dietary supplement based on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to increase cow fertility

MKDC-0209-5793 Developments in grazing ruminant intake modelling using sward characteristics and measurement methodologies for grass cultivar evaluation.

MKDC-0209-5797 Development of a model to predict grass dry matter intake and milk production performance of dairy cows based on sward and animal characteristics

MKDC-0209-5895 Management for optimum milk quality focusing particularly on chemical residues

MKDC-0209-5896 Milk quality as influenced by cow, machine and overall farm hygiene

MKDC-0209-5901 Evaluation of Stocking Rate and Forage System Effects on performance of Autumn Calving Dairy Herds

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Developing the role of animal genetics/genomics to include some key aspects of lactation and growth physiology.

• Understanding regulation of the rumen environment as a basis for genetic selection of animals with improved rumen efficiency.

• Development of new marker approaches to support the application of genomics to improve nutrient utilisation and reduce environmental issues in ruminants.

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• The primary indicator is a reduction in the cost of feed per unit of animal product, whether per kg of milk solids, beef or lamb. The target is a 5% per decade gain in the genetic component of feed efficiency and 10% per decade gain at the phenotypic level (including the effects of changes in feed type).

• A 10% reduction in milk rejected or penalised by dairies for quality issues (TBC, thermodurics, SCC, antibiotics and other residues), by 2014.

• A 10% increase in the proportion of steer and heifer carcasses in fat class 3 as a result of a reduction in carcasses in the higher fat classes, by 2014.

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3.5 Crops Programme The output at farm gate level of the Irish arable sector is valued at close to €600m. At present there are approximately 15,000 cereal growers, 1,500 of whom grow over 50ha of cereals. It is estimated that a further 15,000 are employed in the services and food/feed industries associated with tillage crops. The sector is now entering a period of new market led opportunities but these are set against significant challenges. These include commodity price trends, the security of food and energy supplies, environmental sustainability and climate change. Against this background, the goals for the sector are improving competitiveness, profitability and sustainability by increasing yields and product quality while reducing production costs through more targeted use of inputs, adoption of sustainable production techniques such as minimum tillage establishment. Achieving these goals will be underpinned by advances in science through knowledge generation and procurement, technological developments and innovation. Research and innovation will support the profitability of producers and processors in the competitive scenario of volatile prices, increasing costs, major changes in policies, emerging opportunities for energy and bio-processing crops, new technologies and the requirement for environmental sustainability. The objective of the crop programme is:

• To develop cost effective crop production systems, including crops for energy and bio-processing, which improve competitiveness, profitability and product quality, and minimise impact on the environment.

This objective is achieved through the implementation of research projects conducted in five sub-programme areas:

• Crop Agronomy & Sustainable Crop Production Systems1 • Crop Improvement & Biotechnology • Energy crops and Bio-processing • BETTER Farms

3.5.12 Crop Agronomy and Sustainable Crop Production Systems The overall objective of this sub-programme is:

• To acquire knowledge to facilitate the development of productive, competitive, sustainable production systems for Irish arable crops.

To achieve this objective the sub programme focuses on:

• Crop Yield: Maximising a crop’s yield potential is the primary production objective on tillage farms for both economic and environmental reasons. The annual increase in Irish tillage crop yields, attributable to developments in varieties and crop production technology, is tending towards stagnation in recent years. There is a need to develop our understanding of the soil, crop, management and climate factors that limit crop yield. This will lead to improved agronomic practices to deliver increased crop yield potential.

1 This sub-programme now represents the amalgamation of the Crop Agronomy sub-programme (03 01) with the Sustainable Crop Production Systems sub-programme (03 05).

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• Cost Reduction: To be competitive and economically sustainable in difficult and volatile markets, cost reduction and cost optimization strategies which are compatible with high yields are essential for profitable enterprises. The costs of crop production in order from greatest to smallest are generally; fertilizer, disease control, seed, cultivations, weed control, pest and lodging control.

The demand for new profitable and competitive crop production systems must be in the context of national and international commitments to protect the natural resources - soil, water, air and biodiversity. Table 20 shows the seven research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio for this sub-programme. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 20: Project portfolio for the crop agronomy and sustainable crop production systems sub-programme Project Number Title

OPCH-0301-5618 The evaluation of new atrazine-replacing herbicides for their effectiveness in controlling broadleaved and grass weeds in forage maize crops

OPCH-0301-5619 Economic control of diseases of cereals crops and evaluation of the efficacy of fungicide products.

OPCH-0301-5758 An Integrated Biosciences Platform For The Future Control Of Potato Late Blight On The Island Of Ireland

OPCH-0305-5615 The effect of minimum tillage on the production of spring barley and oilseed rape and an assessment of it's impact on soil characteristics and soil fauna.

OPCH-0305-5616 Crop production systems: a study of key factors in their performance; long-term effects of rotation and input level; and effective validation and dissemination.

OPCH-0305-5617 An investigation of the effects of biosolids on the invertebrate fauna of agricultural soils.

OPCH-0305-5764 Investigations of fungicide resistance in cereal pathogens

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Crop physiology: understanding crop yield limitations. • Disease control: agronomic approaches to reduce disease pressure; and targeting crop

disease control strategies according to risk • Crop nutrition: improving N use efficiency in crops including precision-ag based

targeting strategies; and P and K use strategies • Production for specific markets: Agronomy of milling wheat

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators Crop Yield: Cereal yields are expected to decline by up to 10% over the next five years due to pathogen resistance development, EU directive restrictions and other yield plateau issues. Against this background the sub-programme will seek to deliver an average 1% increase in the annual yield of wheat and barley by the end of 2014. This increase will be worth approximately €30 m over the 5 year period, but with on-going future benefits. Cost reduction: A reduction in costs of approximately 5% in real terms is achievable resulting in annual savings of about €12m.

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3.5.2 Crop Improvement and Biotechnology The objective of this sub-programme is to contribute to the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of Irish agriculture by providing a platform for the continued development of improved varieties of forage, tillage and alternative crop species and to monitor the population structure of the major fungal pathogens in Irish tillage agriculture in terms of their ability to overcome fungicides and varietal resistance. The specific objectives are

• To breed improved varieties of potato for a variety of markets and end uses. • To develop biotechnology-based tools for the genetic improvement of perennial ryegrass,

white clover, potatoes and other crop species which will be “reduced to practice” in collaboration with the appropriate plant breeding programme.

• To identify the genetic components and pathways underlying key traits in perennial ryegrass, white clover and potatoes.

• To assess the impact of novel transgenic crops in Irish tillage agriculture. This encompasses providing support for policymakers, identifying the key GM traits suitable for the Irish tillage agriculture scenarios and developing management strategies for GM crops.

• Monitoring the population structure of the most important pathogens in Irish tillage agriculture with an emphasis on their ability to overcome fungicides and varietal resistance.

Table 21 shows the 16 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Four of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 21: Project portfolio for the Crop Improvement and Biotechnology sub-programme

Project Number Title

OPBY-0302-5630 Developing an alternative delivery system to facilitate gene transfer into major crop species.

OPCH-0302-5612 Breeding and evaluation of improved potato varieties for the domestic and seed export markets.

OPBY-0303-5244 Generation of marker tools towards the mapping and isolation of key agronomic traits in Lolium perenne L.

OPBY-0303-5531 Examining the agronomic and environmental implications of cultivating herbicide tolerant (HT) oilseed rape relative to the effective coexistence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM oilseed rape.

OPBY-0303-5532 The organelle genomes of perennial ryegrass: Sequence discovery and genomics for basic and applied agricultural research

OPBY-0303-5544 Development of a framework for marker assisted selection in the breeding of the novel non-food crop Adonis palaestina

OPBY-0303-5545 Sequencing potato chromosome IV

OPBY-0303-5620 Investigations into the biological and genetic controls of fatty acid levels in perennial ryegrass

OPBY-0303-5621 Predicting the impact of coexistence-guided genetically modified (GM) cropping on Irish biodiversity

OPBY-0303-5622 Development of metabolomics based methods to benefit marker assisted breeding in perennial ryegrass

OPBY-0303-5629 Coexistence of GM and non-GM crops: modelling the effects of cropping systems on gene flow from herbicide tolerant oil seed rape.

OPBY-0303-5761 Developing a knowledge-base for the biotechnology-driven exploitation of self-incompatibility in white clover breeding

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OPBY-0303-5762 Developing advanced technologies and resources for conventional and “-omics”-based white clover breeding strategies

OPBY-0303-5763 Genomics of the biomass crop Miscanthus: characterizing variation in the plastid genome and assessing nuclear ploidy variation

OPBY-0303-5769 Developing Sustainable Low-Input Fodder and Energy Maize Production Systems for Temperate Conditions

OPBY-0303-5772 Co-existence of GM and non-GM systems: Identification of management practises to maintain the sustainability of current potato crops

OPBY-0303-5773 High value products and ethanol from wheat straw and bran: enhancing our understanding and capacity for fungal bioconversion.

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Development of a platform for marker assisted selection for the key traits important to the perennial ryegrass breeding programme.

• Identifying genes and loci conferring resistance to Septoria tritici in wheat. • Investigating the genetic control of nitrogen-use-efficiency in cereals/potatoes/oilseed

rape. • Development of a cost-effective coexistence-based management strategy for the

cultivation of herbicide tolerant GM Maize in Ireland. • Development of a DNA based detection assay to identify mutations in Septoria tritici

leading to decreased sensitivity to new control chemistries. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• A robust platform for the deployment of marker-assisted selection in the forage breeding programme will be available by 2014.

• At least one potato variety (or advanced breeding clone) resistant to emerging “resistance-breaking” strains of blight will be available within 8 years. Potentially reducing the number of blight sprays from 15 to 7, saving the industry €3 m annually.

• Co-existence-based regimes for GM potato, oilseed rape and maize will be developed that allow their rapid uptake by 2014.

• A novel process for the transformation of plant species that overcomes IP constraints of current processes by 2012.

3.5.3 Energy Crops and Bio-processing The objective of this sub-programme is to develop viable bio-energy systems that will:

• Improve fuel security • Maximise sustainability • Create new revenue streams for farmers • Expand rural employment • Increase national wealth

The research has focused on the use of renewable biomass as fuel for engines and boilers. These projects are examining the combustion of a range of energy crops as well as grain and straw, the pelleting of these materials to render them suitable for domestic stoves and boilers, and the quality requirements of both liquid and solid biofuels. The development of efficient production of biomass feedstock which is well suited to these bio-energy processes will also be of importance. The programme is also aimed at identifying new non-food market opportunities for existing or novel crops in particular those taking a ‘bio-refinery’ approach potentially adding value to crops produced for existing markets.

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Table 22 shows the eight research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Four of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 22: Project portfolio for the Energy Crops and Bio-processing sub-programme

Project Number Title

GEBE-0304-5770 GREENGRASS: Developing grass for sustainable renewable energy generation and value-added products

JCEV-0304-5608 Grass for biofuel: a scoping study on the alternative use of grassland biomass in Ireland.

OPAU-0304-5543 The role of energy crops in energy supply, effluent disposal and soil remediation

OPAU-0304-5613 Feasibility of production and combustion of pellets from straw and energy crops

OPAU-0304-5915 Biomass fuelled combined heat and power

OPCH-0304-5771 Stabilisation of camelina oil with antioxidants

OPCH-0304-5788 Producing Biomass for Energy

OPCH-0304-5819 Evaluating Irish grassland as a source for bioenergy: Environmental impacts and long-term sustainability

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Agronomy of energy crops including nutrition and establishment • Lignocellulose biomass for heat electricity and transport fuel • Bio-refinery development • LCA platforms for energy crops • Biomass CHP/Anaerobic digestion in rural locations

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Reduction of 10% in Miscanthus production costs by 2011 • Guidelines and technologies for addressing sowing, management, harvesting, transporting

and processing of the two main Irish energy crops by 2011 • Long term benefits of energy crops quantified and benchmarked using Life Cycle

Analysis by 2011.

3.5.4 BETTER Farms The objective of the BETTER Tillage Farm Sub-Programme is

• To undertake knowledge transfer and innovation activities focused on the evaluation of new knowledge/technology prior to it widespread adoption at farm level.

There are currently no projects in this sub-programme area in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. A new BETTER tillage project application is invited for inclusion in 2010 Project Portfolio. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Establishment of the agreed number of BETTER Tillage farms by 2011 based on the agreed selection criteria.

• The implementation and completion of the agreed monitoring/ measurement programme and the achievement of the agreed benchmarks performance indicators.

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3.6 Environment Programme Agriculture and food account for over half of our indigenous exports, represent one-tenth of the Irish economy and are central to the economic and social vitality of rural communities. The sector is likely to become even more important as scientific advances, consumer trends and market developments create novel and non-traditional uses for our natural resources. Ireland’s key animal production sectors have the potential for development and expansion underpinned by its competitiveness in grass production. The sustainability of the sector is driven by environmental policy. The environmental sustainability challenge is achieving and managing the balance between the exploitation of the natural resources to meet society’s conflicting demands for food, fibre and energy while maintaining the quality and productivity of soil, water, air and biodiversity. The objective of the environment programme is to provide evidence based knowledge to support and underpin the development of an environmentally sustainable, competitive and profitable agri-food sector. This is achieved through the implementation of research projects and initiatives in seven sub-programme areas:

• Nutrient Efficiency • Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change • Water Quality/Risk Assessment • Soils • Biodiversity/ Ecology/Environmental Products & Services • Mini-Catchments • BETTER Farms

The Environment Programme is cross cutting. This requires a continued focus on within and cross programme collaboration through the development of multi-disciplinary projects to deliver on its stated objectives. 3.6.1 Nutrient Efficiency The objective of this sub-programme is to develop our knowledge to provide nutrient advice that will support profitable crop production while minimizing losses to the environment. Nutrient efficiency is achieved by aligning nutrient supply and crop demand. Nutrient supply is derived from the soil, applied organic (slurry/FYM) and inorganic fertiliser. Crop nutrient demand is determined by the crop type, target yield and management. Table 23 shows the five research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. There is also one project (5903) from the grassland programme relevant to this sub-programme. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 23: Project portfolio for the Nutrient Efficiency sub-programme

Project Number Title

JCEV-0401-5494 Phosphorus and lime for sustainable grassland; towards updated Teagasc advice.

JCEV-0401-5512 Efficient and reliable utilisation of nutrients in animal manures.

JCEV-0401-5808 Farm-scale decision support systems: a DSS for sustainable nutrient management

JCEV-0401-5943 A fertilizer nutrient advice matrix for grassland

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MKDC-0401-5796 Studies on the management and utilisation of soiled water and dilute slurry on Irish farms.

MKDC-1203-5903 Increasing nitrogen use efficiencies on grazed grassland in dairy production systems through the use of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrogen fertiliser application strategies

Progress is being made with the development of weather specific nutrient advice (5512, 5808 and 5943). A key nutrient supply knowledge gap is the challenge of accounting explicitly for variation in soil nutrient supplies. From a crop’s nutrient supply there is the on-going need to review the current nutrient advice in response to changes in inorganic fertiliser costs, product prices and environmental policy demands. Against this background, two priority areas are targeted for new projects in 2010:

• Nutrient Release from Soils – this project should review and model existing national nitrogen (N) response datasets for grassland for a range soil types with a view to determining the soil factors contributing to the different responses. It should also investigate the potential of soil N tests as a means of developing/“fine tuning” N advice on field by field basis.

• Nutrient Working Group – this project requires the establishment of a Nutrient Working Group modelled on and integrated with the Water Quality and Greenhouse Gas/Climate Change Working Groups. The key task should be development of system specific nutrient advice systems.

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Management strategies to recover 40% of the N derived from the land application of cattle slurry and dirty water on grassland.

• Increase N-efficiency on dairy grassland research farms from 20 to 30% by 2012. • Revision of nutrient advice book (Green Book) by 2013

3.6.2 Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change The objectives of this sub-programme are:

• To increase our knowledge of the soil, cropping, animal and management processes determining emissions to underpin the development of sustainable strategies to reduce emissions.

• To quantify the potential of land use and land management strategies for carbon sequestration

• To evaluate inventory emission factors and quantify the impact of changed management practices for inclusion in national inventory calculations.

The research in the sub-programme focuses on:

• The development of strategies for reducing the agricultural emissions of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide. It also includes the ammonia emissions, an important transboundary gas from an agricultural perspective with regulatory limits on national emissions.

• Investigating potential land use and or carbon sequestration strategies to offset greenhouse gas emissions by land use and/or sequestration.

• Ensuring that the management strategies developed and applied can be included in the calculation of national inventories.

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Table 24 shows the 14 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Four of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 24: Project portfolio for the Greenhouse Gas and Climate Change sub-programme

Project number Title

GEBE-0402-5628 Impact of alternative feedstuffs on GHG emissions from beef cattle

GEBE-0402-5631 Evaluating the effects of potential methane mitigation strategies on in vitro methane production, rumen fermentation and microbial community structure

JCEV-0402-5508 An evaluation of strategies to control ammonia emissions from the land-spreading of cattle slurry and cattle wintering facilities.

JCEV-0402-5786 Reducing nitrogen excretion, ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from dairy, beef and pig farms: evaluating a whole farm approach.

JCEV-0402-5800 Greenhouse gases mitigation and agriculture: An assessment of current and future requirements.

JCEV-0402-5801 Assessing GHG impacts of establishing biomass and biofuel crops.

JCEV-0402-5802 Assessing the greenhouse gas budget of eco-tillage and other mitigation options for arable systems.

MKDC-0402-5781 Mitigation strategies for methane emissions by dairy cows in Irish milk production systems

MKSD-0402-5783 Quantification of the potential of white clover to lower GHG emissions from Irish grassland-based dairy production

OPCH-0402-5675 Managing soil organic carbon in Irish agricultural systems

REAG-0402-5623 The Impact of climate change on Irish Farming

REAG-0402-5724 Sustainable Development in Ireland: Research Sub-Model on Agriculture

REAG-0402-5738 CliMAP: Climate Change, Irish agriculture and LULUCF: incorporating a spatial analytical approach to ensure compliance with national and international reporting commitments

REAG-0402-5816 Analysis of the Impact on farm income and farm numbers of market and non-market based strategies to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Irish Farms

There is no call for new projects for this sub-programme in 2010. However, a Working Group has been established and will be included as part of the new Integrated Environment Technology Platform. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Strategies in place to reduce the inventory accounted gaseous emissions from agriculture sector by 0.5m to 4m tonnes by 2020

• Knowledge to reduced greenhouse gas emissions per unit product on research farms. 3.6.3 Water Quality/Risk Assessment (including the Mini-Catchment Programme). The objectives of the sub-programme are:

• To understand and quantify hydrological pathways from source to receptor. • To understand and quantify the biogeochemical processes between source and receptor. • To develop and evaluate technologies to manipulate the hydro(geo)logical and

biogeochemical processes along the pathways.

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• To establish a partnership in eight intensively farmed mini-catchments, where productive agriculture is practiced and water quality targets are or will be compromised.

• To ascertain the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the Nitrate (and Water Framework) Directive(s) measures against a background of profitable farming.

This sub-programme focuses on the link between nutrient pressures and nutrient receptors, specifically on the hydrological pathways between pressure and receptor and the biochemical processes that take place along these pathways that reduce nutrient input into receptors. Table 25 shows the 15 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Four of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. The list of projects includes the five mini-catchment projects. Table 25: Project portfolio for the Water Quality/Risk Assessment sub-programme

Project number Title

JCEV-0403-5605 Subsoil and groundwater denitrification potential in Ireland.

JCEV-0403-5669 Dairy Wastewater Treatment Using a Horizontal Flow Biofilm Reactor (HFBR)

JCEV-0403-5721 Amelioration of an artificial lake system in the southeast of Ireland

JCEV-0403-5728 Measures for the reduction of nitrate and pathogen leaching from agriculture to groundwater

JCEV-0403-5784 Assessment of the vulnerability of groundwater to pesticide inputs from Irish Agriculture.

JCEV-0403-5785 New biodegradable hydrogel materials for the delivery of nitrtication and urease inhibitors.

JCEV-0403-5787 Maximising the efficiency of slurry-N and urea-N utilisation by grassland using nitrification and urease inhibitors as a strategy for environmental protection.

JCEV-0403-5814 Novel agri-engineering solutions for remediation of surface and ground water: technology development towards meeting the requirements of the WFD.

MKDG-0403-5498 The effects of stocking rate on nitrate leaching and grazing season length on nitrate leaching from a vulnerable soil type.

OPCH-0403-5179 Investigations into the use of winter cover crops in spring barley production systems as a measure to reduce nitrate leaching.

MTAV-0408-5867 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Farm Management/Advisory

MTMC-0408-5868 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Source/Pathway.

MTMC-0408-5869 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Pathways/Delivery.

MTMC-0408-5870 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Soci-economic studies.

MTMC-0408-5871 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Data Management and Modelling

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• A cross centre /programme review of the cost effectiveness of technologies to reduce agricultural emissions to water.

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Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • Soil type specific and cost effective measures to reduce contaminant losses and transport

to water by 2014.

• A significant contribution to the first (2010) and second (2014) national reports on the monitoring of the implementation of the Action Programme and the national application to retain the derogation (2010).

3.6.4 Soils The objectives of the soils sub-programme are:

• To develop a Soils Information System to facilitate environmental risk assessment, including threats to soil quality.

• To assess the extent of threats to soil quality in Ireland (posed by compaction, erosion, loss of biodiversity and contamination) and to build an inter-disciplinary research capacity at basic and applied level that aims to develop soil management strategies to reverse reductions in soil quality.

Soils are where agriculture and environment meet and have multiple functions, e.g.: the main platform for the production of food/feed, water purification, carbon-sequestration, the provision of habitats and is central to nutrient cycling and management. The relative importance of these functions depends on land use choices and soil types. Soil functions are subject to soil threats (compaction, erosion, loss of organic matter, loss of habitat, sealing, etc). Soil management is aimed at minimising these threats to soil functions. Functions and threats differ between soil type. Therefore, soil quality is achieved through management aimed at minimising specific threats to specific soil functions that are desired for a specific land use on a specific soil type. Table 26 shows the five research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. One of these (highlighted) is due to finish before the end of the year. Table 26: Project portfolio for the Soils sub-programme

Project number Title

JCEV-0404-5809 Developing 1:250,000 soil mapping for Ireland with associated Soil Information System

JCEV-0404-5811 Walsh Fellowship Cluster: Soil Processes

JCEV-0404-5879 Review and gap analysis of research pertaining to soil threats relevant to Irish agricultural systems.

JCEV-0404-5882 Integrating fundamental aspects of soil biological processes into environmental research

JCEV-0404-5884 Soil Library (Archive from the National Soil Database)

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • National soils map completed by 2014 3.6.5 Agri-Environmental Products & Services/ Agri-ecology

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The objectives of this sub-programme are to: • Provide knowledge to support improved design and monitoring of Irish agri-environment

schemes. • Develop management strategies for Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), High Nature

Value farmland, and non-designated farmland. • Investigate benefits of swards diversity for multiple ecosystem processes. • Understand interactions between ecological and geochemical processes, with a view to

develop ecological technologies to enhance productivity, nutrient efficiency and environmental services.

This sub-programme focuses on integrating ecological and agronomic functions along a gradient of farm intensity to deliver a range of profitable and sustainable farming systems appropriate to geographic locations and socio-economic circumstances. For intensive agriculture, the sub-programme focuses on using functional ecology to the benefit of agriculture, i.e. manipulating ecological processes to improve productive capacity and reduce emissions. For extensive agriculture, the sub-programme focuses on the development, costs, benefits and evaluation of agri-environmental measures. At the High Nature Value Farmland end of the scale, the sub-programme focuses on developing management strategies to protect biodiversity in a practical context. Table 27 shows the eight research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Six of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 27: Project portfolio for the Agri-Environmental Products & Services/ Agri-ecology sub-programme

Project number Title

AYSP-0405-5547 Sustainable agri-environmental management of hill and mountain peatlands in relation to sheep grazing choices and environmental and ecological impacts of sheep

JCEV-0405-5583 Benefits of Plant Diversity in Forage Mixtures: An experimental test of the insurance hypothesis.

JCEV-0405-5584 Evaluation of Existing and Potential Measures to Sustain an Increased Biodiversity and Water Quality on Irish Farms.

JCEV-0405-5658 Novel experimental designs and models for biodiversity-function research

JCEV-0405-5729 Development of survey methods to detect High-Nature-Value farmland.

JCEV-0405-5757 A scoping study to support environmental monitoring of the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme.

JCEV-0405-5768 A review of evidence for agri-environmental measures to create and enhance farmland habitats.

JCEV-0405-5945 A scoping study to help identify potential areas of research in relation to the 3 way synergy between biodiversity, environmental sustainability and farm productivity.

Significant progress has been made over the last five years with the development of this new sub-programme. REPS measures were evaluated to provide evidence of their contribution improving biodiversity, reviewing strategies for monitoring the programme and providing input to the evolution of scheme to its current level – REPS 4. The recent closing of REPS indicates that future schemes will require more local focus, evidence to support the effectiveness of the measures to be used, monitoring of impact and proven value for money. The Bord SNIP Nua report reflects this “..It would be timely to conduct another in-depth value-for-money review of

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the scheme for the effectiveness of REPS in protecting water courses, supporting the rural environment, highlighting impacts on biodiversity particularly in sensitive regions, as well as the impact on the economy in rural areas. The outcome of the review should inform decisions on the future scope and shape of the REPS Scheme in Ireland” Project applications are invited for a project that will explore possible options for the future schemes designed to provide agri-environmental good and services. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• An evaluation of the potential of mixtures to increase the productivity and sustainability of grass based animal production systems by 2012.

• Delivery of evidence based options for inclusion in new agri-environmental schemes that will deliver cost effective protection and maintenance of areas such as species rich grassland and upland peats by 2013.

• An improved understanding of the potential of soil ecology to deliver functional benefits that will underpin the development of profitable and sustainable grass based production systems by 2014.

3.6.6 BETTER Farms The objective of the BETTER Environment Farm Sub-Programme is

• To undertake knowledge transfer and innovation activities focused on the evaluation of new knowledge/technology prior to it widespread adoption at farm level.

There are currently no projects in this sub-programme area in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. There is no specific project call for this sub-programme area in 2010. 3.7 Economics and Rural Research Programme The objective of the economics and rural research programme is to provide evidence based knowledge to support and underpin the development of a competitive, environmentally sustainable, and profitable agri-food sector. This is achieved through the implementation of research projects and initiatives in seven sub-programme areas:

• Agriculture, Trade and Environmental Policy Analysis • Farm and Food Economics • Spatial Analysis • Innovation and Rural Development • Environmental Economics

The Economics and Rural Research Programme is cross cutting. This requires a continued focus on within and cross programme collaboration through the development of multi-disciplinary projects to deliver on its stated objectives. 3.7.1 Agricultural, Trade and Environmental Policy Analysis The prices farmers receive for what they produce and the prices that they pay for inputs are determined by the fundamental forces of supply and demand, agricultural policy and agricultural trade policy.

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The ongoing process of globalisation and further reforms of the CAP, within the context of the upcoming EU Budget Review, will change the policy and market environment within which Irish agriculture operates. In addition, climate change policy will become increasingly important as all Government policies will have to take cognisance of the climate change problem. Understanding the impact of policy changes and the impact of ongoing developments in agricultural commodity markets is central to Teagasc’s ability to improve the competitiveness of agriculture and improve the sustainability of rural areas. The maintenance and deepening of the analytical capacity that resides within the ATEPA unit will be essential in ensuring that Teagasc is able to respond to stakeholder demands for timely and relevant economic analysis of the impact of changes or potential changes in agricultural, trade policy and environmental policies. The work of the ATEPA unit are an essential input into research projects conducted in other Units within RERC and other research projects across Teagasc. Table 28 shows the five research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. None of these are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 28: Project portfolio for the Agricultural, Trade and Environmental Policy Analysis sub-programme

Project number Title

REAG-0501-5659 Development of Regional Economic Models for Ireland to facilitate Economic Impact Analyses

REAG-0402-5724 Sustainable Development in Ireland: Research Sub-Model on Agriculture

REAG-0402-5816 Analysis of the Impact on farm income and farm numbers of market and non-market based strategies to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions on Irish Farms

REAG-0501-5934 Meeting National Targets for Organic Farming in Ireland

REAG-0501-5935 Development and maintenance of partial equilibrium models of Irish agriculture for use in medium term economic analysis

As no projects will complete this year, it is not anticipated that there will be any new projects in this sub-programme in 2010. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • A medium term baseline forecast of agricultural markets will be carried out annually to assist

decision making of industry and policy stakeholders. • Quality and timely analytical advice will be provided in relation to the impact on the sector of

ongoing market and policy changes. • The FAPRI aggregate model will be re-developed to be able to incorporate changes to the

CAP in 2013. • To organise an annual stakeholder conference in relation to market changes and to provide

regular commentary on these changes • A customer satisfaction survey will be conducted in association with the customer service

unit regularly of key customers of the sub-programme. We aim to deliver a customer satisfaction of 90% or higher in the sub-programme.

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3.7.2 Farm Processor, Retail and Food Economics The objective of this sub-programme is to conduct enterprise profitability analysis (Situation and Outlook), analysis of current policy proposals (FAPRI-Ireland Farm Level Model), assessment of the viability of emerging farm enterprises (biofuel crops) and technologies (GM and organic production) as well as farm productivity analysis and international competitiveness research. The sub-programme also conducts timely and relevant policy analysis. The activities aim to more effectively incorporate production research, productivity and competitiveness analysis into the farm level production economics programme. Research influences short and medium term projections via the annual situation and outlook analysis and by explaining more of the variation in farm profit and technical efficiency. New to the sub-programme is the objective of understanding in greater detail the economics of the wider food chain including industry level, retailer level and consumer level research. There are nine projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio shown in Table 29. Three of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 29: Project portfolio for the Farm Processor, Retail and Food Economics sub-programme

Project number Title

REAG-0402-5623 The Impact of climate change on Irish Farming

REAG-0502-5625 Exploring the Effect of Policy Reform on the Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability of Irish Farms

OPBY-0303-5629 Coexistence of GM and non-GM crops: modelling the effects of cropping systems on gene flow from herbicide tolerant oil seed rape.

REAG-0502-5626 An Economic Analysis of the Financial Performance of Dairy and Cereal Farmers in Ireland

REAG-0501-5652 The relative competitiveness of Irish agriculture

OPBY-0303-5772 Co-existence of GM and non-GM systems: Identification of management practises to maintain the sustainability of current potato crops

MKDC-1206-5794 Development of an integrated farm and processing sector model for the Irish dairy industry

REAG-0502-5818 A micro level analysis of the Irish Agri Food Sector - lessons and recommendations from Denmark

REAG-0502-5914 Risk & Irish Agriculture

Due to substantial recent market developments, a re-appraisal of the competitive position of Irish farms is required, particularly in the lead up to CAP reform negotiations next year. In addition there is stakeholder demand to better understand farm level decision making and behavioural response to market and policy changes. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • Informed decision making at industry and policy stakeholder level, assisted by assessment of

the competitive and productive position of different agricultural sectors relative to competitors on a bi-ennial basis.

• A short term and medium term baseline forecast of the viability distribution of Irish farms will be carried out annually.

• Quality and timely analytical advice will be provided in relation to the impact at the farm level of ongoing market and policy changes.

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• To organise an annual stakeholder conference in relation to market changes and to provide regular commentary on these changes.

• A customer satisfaction survey will be conducted in association with the customer service unit regularly of key customers of the sub-programme. We aim to deliver a customer satisfaction of 90% or higher in the sub-programme.

3.7.3 Spatial Analysis The objectives of the Spatial Analysis sub-programme are: • To align the spatial analysis capacity to equip stakeholders with the knowledge to deliver

high levels of agri-environmental quality. • To provide evidence-based knowledge to support policymakers in designing, implementing

and evaluating programmes. • To support the development of quantifiable agri-environmental measures targeted at spatial

variation and different farming systems. A key activity for the Spatial Analysis research sub-programme is the integration of its spatial analysis capabilities across a diverse area of research and the development of a corporate spatial analysis facility for Teagasc using a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform. Incorporating spatial analysis in Teagasc research programmes provides a platform for new, comprehensive assessments of the interface between agri-food, economic and environmental thematic areas. In this context, the continued development on a corporate wide basis of spatial analytical capacity built on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, to best international standards as required by Directive 2007/2/EC. It is essential to ensure proper management and maintenance of data and to facilitate access to spatially enabled databases and research outputs from both internal and external stakeholders. Spatial Analysis is a crucial technology for the realisation of research in the areas of precision farming, environment, land use and forestry. Spatial Analysis is the ideal platform on which to build cross centre collaboration in the following areas:

• Soils • Spatial Analysis of Agri-environment policy • Spatial analysis of effect of climate change and GHG emission policy • Land use & land use potential modelling • Use of EO technology in agriculture for improving sustainability and productivity

Table 30 shows the 11 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 30: Project portfolio for the spatial analysis sub-programme

Project number Title

REAG-0505-5564 Constructing a National Spatial Data Archive: mainstreaming geospatial policy and practice in Teagasc in line with emerging national and international legislative and policy requirements.

REAG-0505-5690 Automatically mapping All Irish Hedgerows and sub-parcel areas of natural scrub using new segmentation techniques and supervised texture classification of colour aerial photography.

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REAG-0402-5738 CliMAP: Climate Change, Irish agriculture and LULUCF: incorporating a spatial analytical approach to ensure compliance with national and international reporting commitments

FRRS-0603-5700 A Cluster based approach for identifying farm forest resources to maximise potential markets

REAG-0505-5838 Pilot Study into method, costs and time span needed to spatially enable historical, current and future national farm surveys.

HRRS-0701-5776 Willow selection for resistance to herbivore damage using predictive climate change and Geographic Information System modelling.

OPBY-0303-5629 Coexistence of GM and non-GM crops: modelling the effects of cropping systems on gene flow from herbicide tolerant oil seed rape.

REAG-0402-5623 The Impact of climate change on Irish farming

JCEV-0401-5512 Efficient and reliable utilisation of nutrients in animal manures.

JCEV-0404-5809 IRLSOIL 250: Developing 1:250,000 soil mapping for Ireland with associated Soil Information System

MTXX-0408-5866 Agricultural Mini-Catchment Programme - Programme Management

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators: • Develop a soil map of Ireland at 1:250,000 scale (2013) to aid farm management and policy

makers. • Provide tools and analysis for the measurement of the spatial impact of policy changes and

proposed GHG emission mitigation measures (ongoing). • Develop maps of land use/Land use potential in agriculture (2012). • A customer satisfaction survey will be conducted in association with the customer service

unit regularly of key customers of the sub-programme. We aim to deliver a customer satisfaction of 90% or higher in the sub-programme.

3.7.4 Innovation and Rural Development This sub-programme focuses primarily on the economic, social, institutional and spatial dimensions of sustainability as they pertain to the activities of farms and rural households, while also addressing related issues in the broader rural economy. Research projects are contextualised within the diverse policy and strategic framework governing national, regional and sectoral initiatives contributing to the development of sustainable rural communities. The IRD sub-programme focuses on questions that seek to understand how rural sustainability is leveraged by successful on and off-farm diversified enterprises, innovation, and by farm and farm family resources (human, institutional and locational). The IRD Sub-Programme bring its multidisciplinary capability to bear on the analysis of unpredictable behavioural outcomes to policy and extension stimulus (for example, the motivations behind the adoption/non adoption of technologies or the factors influencing loss-making farmers to remain in production) and the analysis of differentiated outcomes to policy and extension stimulus (for example, identifying differentiated preferences and trends among farm households in terms of diversification activities). Through this research, the IRD sub-programme seeks to encourage a more nuanced targeting of diversification options according to household characteristics; identify patterns in terms of adoption/non adoption within different technologies and influence the development of extension (and approaches towards extension) that is more culturally and socially adoptable for particular social groups such as farmers.

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The IRD sub-programme sees an important part of its activities as providing a multidisciplinary social-science research input that can contribute to the optimal uptake and targeting of Teagasc’s extension activities. To facilitate this goal, structures to support dialogue, learning and information exchange between the IRD Sub-Programme and key Advisory Service personnel will be developed. Table 31 shows the nine research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 31: Project portfolio for the Innovation and Rural Development sub-programme

Project number Title

REAG-0508-5576 Economics of Innovation in the Rural Economy

REAG-0508-5577 Audit of Policy in Rural Areas

REAI-0508-5734 Developing a geodemographic typology of Ireland’s rural population 1991 - 2006

REAI-0508-5877 The future role of Farm Partnerships in Ireland and factors influencing their operation

RERY-0508-5912 Evaluation of farm restructuring and diversification processes, trends and implications in the Republic of Ireland

RERY-0508-5913 European Development Options for Rural Areas

RERY-0508-5917 Agricultural Production in Ireland: qualitative analysis of farmer behaviour

REAG-0508-5918 Benchmarking the utilisation and understanding the adoption of Grassland Management Practices (GMP) on Dairy Farms

RERY-0508-5948 Diversifying Marine Based Employment Opportunities

To further increase the impact of the research programme, particularly in the areas of diversification and extension, there is a need to develop greater interaction and integration with advisory services. Therefore it is expected that there will be non-research integration projects developed to meet these needs. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • To increase understanding of the response of farmers to recent policy changes, so as to better

design research and extension activities targeted towards there needs. • In conjunction with advisory colleagues to evaluate, develop and pilot improved extension

techniques by 2012. • Quality and timely analytical advice will be provided in relation to the impact at the farm

level of ongoing market and policy changes in the area of the rural economy • Undertake an annual national policy conference. • A customer satisfaction survey will be conducted in association with the customer service

unit regularly of key customers of the sub-programme. We aim to deliver a customer satisfaction of 90% or higher in the sub-programme.

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3.7.5 Environmental Economics The main objective of the sub-programme is to carry out research on the interactions between economic activity and the environment in Irish rural space. Land, water and forests are the primary resources of agricultural production in Ireland, and are also the resources essential to maintain human life and well-being. The use of these resources must be balanced with conservation to support sustained national development, and to avoid environmental degradation and losses in agricultural productivity. The natural resource base provides many benefits to different groups of people in both urban and rural areas. These varied benefits and the costs associated with environmental degradation are the main research focus of the sub-programme. In the last decade, the use of environmental economics in discussing environmental issues has increased substantially. Whether utilised as a tool to determine which agri-environmental projects have the greatest benefits or to determine natural resource benefits or damages, individuals and agencies that have an understanding of key concepts and methodologies, will have a distinct advantage to inform the policy debate. The Environmental Economics sub-programme endeavours to employ a variety of market and non-market techniques to provide key stakeholders (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of the Environment and Local Government, Department of Community and Rural Affairs, Environmental Protection Agency and the Farm organisations) with the analyses to make informed decision in a number of policy areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, implementation of environmental regulations, provision of environmental public goods, multifunctional agriculture and natural resources allocation. Table 32 shows the five research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Two of these (highlighted) are due to finish before the end of the year. Table 32: Project portfolio for the Environmental Economics sub-programme

Project number Title

REAG-0510-5655 An economic evaluation of public access provision to farmland in Ireland.

REAG-0510-5737 National Preference Survey

REAG-0510-5907 The Economic Impacts of Implementing the Water Framework Directive

REAG-0604-5698 Modelling the economics of forestry in Ireland

There are no new projects for 2010. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators • To provide the sector with economic analysis to underpin cost-benefit analysis underpinning

the roll out of environmental policies that impact on agriculture. • Assist in policy formation and development by identifying the non-market value of public

goods provided by the agricultural sector. • Assist the sector in developing cost-effective farm management responses to environmental

policies. • A customer satisfaction survey will be conducted in association with the customer service

unit regularly of key customers of the sub-programme. We aim to deliver a customer satisfaction of 90% or higher in the sub-programme.

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3.8 Grassland Programme Ireland’s competitive advantage in ruminant livestock production is based on the efficient production and utilization of grazed grass. This has increased in recent years with rising costs of concentrates, labour and energy. It is also perceived that grass-based systems produce nutritionally superior milk and meat products and are environmentally and animal welfare friendly. Permanent grassland accounts for almost 80% of land use in Ireland, which is twice the proportion in the EU as a whole. Between 11-15 tonnes of grass dry matter per hectare is produced in Ireland which is on average two tonnes more than that produced in western Europe. A long grazing season is possible because grass grows virtually all year around in the south-west to around 250 days in the inland areas of the northeast. Compared to grazed grass (including a land charge of €450/ha) on a energy basis the costs grass and maize silage are 2.5 to 3 times the cost while concentrate feeds are 3.5 to 4 times. The objective of the new Grassland Research and Innovation programme is:

• To generate and procure evidence-based knowledge to support innovation, technology transfer and education in the key areas of Irish grass production including grass breeding, growth, fertilisation, utilisation, nutritional value, and develop grazing systems that will underpin the profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of the sector and enhance food security.

3.8.1 Grass Breeding (Pasture renovation is now included in the Grazing Management and conservation Sub-Programme). The objective of this sub-programme is to breed and evaluate new grass and clover varieties to enhance profitability and sustainability of Irish livestock systems using both quantitative and molecular genetic approaches. Table 33 shows the two projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio for this sub-programme. Table 33: Project portfolio for the grass breeding sub-programme

Project Number Title

MKDC-1201-5663 Development of an economic evaluation index for grass varieties

OPCH-1201-5916 Designing forage grass and clover with enhanced value for animal production, sustainability and profitability

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Integration of the breeding and grass evaluation programme to include a grazing component in grass and clover variety selection. The ultimate objective to breed novel ‘grazing’ grass/clover varieties that enhance the profitability of Irish pasture based systems.

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Develop and implement an improved evaluation system for characterizing grass and clover varieties in grazing systems by 2012

• Develop the grass selection index by 2011 • Deliver three new grass varieties and one new clover variety before 2014.

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3.8.2 Grass Growth, Sward Dynamics and Utilisation under Grazing The objective of this sub-programme is to develop the knowledge and understanding of grass physiology and it’s interaction with the grazing animal to underpin the grassland programme and to integrate into farm systems In pasture based systems of animal production profit per hectare is maximised when pasture utilisation is optimised. The most important influence of the grazing animal on pasture is the removal of pasture i.e. defoliation. The timing, intensity and frequency of defoliation can markedly influence the botanical composition and productivity of pasture. Table 34 shows the two projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio for this sub-programme. Table 34: Project portfolio for the Grass Growth, Sward Dynamics and Utilisation under Grazing sub-programme

Project Number Title MKDC-1202-5664 Strategies to increase dairy cow performance at pasture

MKDC-1202-5795

Precision pasture management: impacts on weed control and implications for biodiversity

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Acquire a greater understanding of the effects of grazing management on grass production and utilization that will underpin a 5% increase in the grazed grass component of dairy and beef animal diets.

3.8.3 Soil Fertility and Nutrient Use Efficiency The objectives of this sub-programme are to improve nutrient use efficiency on pasture based-systems whilst maintaining productivity and to investigate and disseminate new technologies for improving the efficiency with which nutrients can be recycled and recovered from organic and chemical fertilizer applications. This sub-programme is fully integrated with the Nutrient Efficiency sub-programme of the Environment Research Programme. There is one projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio shown in Table 35. Table 35: Project portfolio for the Soil Fertility & Nutrient Use Efficiency sub-programme

Project Number Title

MKDC-1203-5903

Increasing nitrogen use efficiencies on grazed grassland in dairy production systems through the use of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrogen fertiliser application strategies

The suggested industry impact indicators are the same as those for the Nutrient Efficiency sub-programme of the Environment Programme.

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3.8.4 Grass as an Animal Feed and Feeding Value of Grass The objective of this sub-programme is to increase the efficiency of conversion of grazed grass to animal product through improved grass quality. There are two research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio shown in Table 36. Table 36: Project portfolio for the grass feed and value sub-programme

Project Number Title

MKDC-1204-5798 Maximising utilisation of grazed grass in both early spring and late autumn with autumn and spring calving dairy cows

MKDC-1204-5893 Characterising grass varieties:developing an animal-centered comparison protocol

AYSP-1204-5657 Effects of maturity of maize at harvest and level of inclusion in the diet of ewes in late pregnancy offered grass silage harvested using different systems.

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Achieve a 3% increase in the DMD of mid-season grass quality by 2014. 3.8.5 Grazing Management incl. Conservation The objectives of this sub-programme are:

• To increase the percentage grazed grass in the diet in beef and dairy systems • To increase the total quantity of grass harvested/ha in both beef and dairy systems • To increase the profitability of sheep systems by increasing lamb growth rate from

pasture There is one project included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio shown in Table 37. Table 37: Project portfolio for the grazing management sub-programme

Project Number Title

GEBE-1205-5903

Increasing nitrogen use efficiencies on grazed grassland in dairy production systems through the use of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrogen fertiliser application strategies

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Evaluation of dairy type grazing strategies for beef production systems. • Integration of clover into higher output systems to increase profitability and reduce risk. • Integrating conservation with modern grazing management to optimize farm system

profitability. Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• To target a 5% increase in grazed grass in the diet of beef and dairy systems by 2014. • To increase by 10% the proportion of mid-season lambs sold in June by 2012.

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3.8.6 Sustainable Production Systems and System Analysis The objectives of this sub-programme are:

• To undertake research on evaluating relevant technologies emerging from other programme and sub-programme areas in integrated whole-farm production systems (including clover based-systems). Key components of the system are included such as, stocking rate, genotype/breed, soil characteristics/location and seasonality of production.

• To develop modeling tools and skills to undertake technical and financial appraisal of specific technical, environmental, policy and market scenarios of interest. Modeling tools employed will include stochastic simulation to evaluate the impact of “risky” or uncertain variables and mathematical programming to identify optimal systems of production from a technical or financial perspective.

Given the holistic nature of this research programme, a critical element is the collaboration with other programme and sub-programme areas. Table 38 shows the 11 research projects included in the 2009 RMIS portfolio. Three of these (highlighted) are due for completion at the end of 2009. Table 38: Project portfolio for the sustainable production systems and systems analysis sub-programme

Project Number Title

GEBE-1206-5919 Sustainable and profitable continental bull beef systems.

GEBE-1206-5923 Sustainable and Profitable Dairy Calf-to-Beef Systems.

GEBE-1206-5926 The development and application of a multiple-goal programming model of suckler beef production systems.

GEBE-1206-5927 The development and application of a bioeconomic simulation model of dairy beef production systems.

MKDC-1206-5396 The development and implementation of decision support systems to optimise performance on dairy farms in different regions of the country

MKDC-1206-5500 Dairy production technology in the northeast.

MKDC-1206-5518 Increasing the competitiveness of milk production in areas with high rainfall and heavy clay soil types.

MKDC-1206-5676 Post grazing height and the productivity of white clover-based systems of dairy production

MKDC-1206-5794 Development of an integrated farm and processing sector model for the Irish dairy industry

MKDC-1206-5891 An evaluation of the effect of stocking rate, calving date and nutrient management practice on the productivity of intensive spring milk production systems post milk quota

MKDC-1206-5892 Development of optimal management practices for replacement heifers entering the Irish dairy herd

New projects identified for inclusion in the 2010 programme include:

• Life cycle assessment for green house gas emissions with particular emphasis on grass/clover systems

Suggested Industry Impact Indicators

• Develop blueprints which will increase farm profit to the levels stated in the ‘Roadmap targets’ and demonstrate these blueprints on Research farms and through BETTER farm programme

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4. ADVISORY PROGRAMME 4.1 Overview The primary purpose of the advisory services is to maximise the income and sustainability of farm families within rural communities. The services of the future must achieve an acceptable balance between the development needs and the service demands of farm families. The programmes delivered by Teagasc are:

• Business and Technology Programme • Environment and Technology Programme • Rural Innovation Programme

During 2009, as part of the Teagasc Change Programme, the Knowledge Transfer and Education (KTE) Directorate was established with the objective of integrating and thereby improving the process of knowledge transfer of research and procured knowledge through the advisory service to farmers. This change is being complemented in the advisory service with a refocusing of the major programmes being delivered. Since the restructuring of the advisory service in 2007 the Business and Technology (B&T) Programme has focused heavily on achieving uptake of new technology by mainly commercial farmers. However, with the fast pace of change in the industry and in Teagasc in the last two years there is a need to change the Good Farm Practice Programme to become more focused on the delivery of technical and environmental advice to a large number of clients who, while not operating at the cutting edge, have a significant contribution to make to the development and output of the agricultural industry. For this reason the Environment and Technology programme will be developed and implemented in 2010. Refocusing the programmes will position the advisory service to lead and serve farm families and the wider rural economy to achieve a sustainable future. It will involve:

• Advisers dedicated to the delivery of specific programmes with strong support and training from specialists.

• Stronger stakeholder partnerships influencing the direction of the programme. • Integrated programme development teams providing a lead to co-ordinated advisory/

research and education programmes. • Sharper focus on technology transfer. • Innovative techniques such as BETTER (Business Environment Technology through

Training Extension and Research) farms, technology advisory circles and discussion groups.

The current Government budgetary situation and the implications of the implementation of the Report of the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes will have a profound effect on the delivery of Advisory Services in 2010. A number of factors will require that the advisory and knowledge transfer functions within the advisory service change their programmes to meet the changing priorities of the farming communities. These factors include:

• The termination of REPS applications and thus a reduction in contract staff numbers • Difficult trading conditions for clients • Loss of off farm employment and income for farm families • Falling staff numbers and budgetary difficulties within Teagasc

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It is proposed that in 2010 resources are allocated to each programme as shown in Table 39. Table 39: Advisory and knowledge transfer programme staff July 2009

Professional Support Total Advisory Area Unit Staff Area Managers & Management 22 22 Business & Technology Advisors 126 126 Environment and Technology Advisors 238 238 Administration 115 115 Other 19 19

Total Advisory Area Unit Staff 386 134 520* KTE Programme Staff Forestry Development Unit 14 6 20 Horticulture Development Unit 14 14 28 Pig Development Unit 10 10 20 Mini-catchment Programme 9 4 13 National Farm Survey 2 20 22 Advisory Programme Managers 6 6 Advisory Specialist Staff 40.5 10.5 51 BETTER Farm Programme 2 2

Total KTE Staff 97.5 64.5 162 Source: Core HR and KTE *It is expected that staff numbers in the advisory area units directorate will reduce to approximately 450 in 2010 due to retirements and non-renewal of contracts. The 2009 budget for advisory, knowledge transfer and education programmes is €75m. 4.2 Overall Objective The objective of the advisory service is to increase the income and improve the sustainability of farm families within rural communities in line with the goals of the Teagasc Statement of Strategy 2008-2010. 4.3 Programme Priorities for 2010 Given the challenges facing the industry, there is a need for focused and positive support at local level to influence and lead farmers towards a more sustainable future. The KTE and Advisory Directorates will work together to deploy their resources to address these challenges. Programme leadership will be provided through the development of programme area business plans drawn up using an extensive stakeholder consultation and feedback process. This process will involve consultation with external stakeholders on commodity teams, internal joint advisory, research and education programme development teams and comprehensive consultation with staff. The advisory service will ensure the full implementation of these agreed priority programmes. A key focus for 2010 will be to establish and achieve the development goals of Irish farmers through the adoption of key technologies and the implementation of sound financial management practices. It is essential that there is a balance between assisting farmers in achieving their development goals and meeting the requirements for a broad range of services demanded by farm families. Business plans will be developed by area units and programme areas setting out priorities and indicating how these priorities will be met. The advisory service will maintain the capacity to respond to national and local emergencies e.g. weather, disease, etc. that may emerge in any year and deliver targeted public good programmes and activities.

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There has been a huge shift from full time to part time farming. This poses a challenge to Teagasc in how it delivers its service. In 2010, Teagasc expects to service about 60,000 farmers, of which about 18,000 will be full-time commercial farmers. Demand for service is at an unprecedented level with approximately 44,000 contracted clients paying for an advisory service. The 2010 activities for each of the following key programme areas of the Advisory Service are outlined in sections 4.4 to 4.6.

• Business and Technology Programme. • Environment and Technology Programme • Rural Innovation Programme.

4.4 Business and Technology Programme Farmers will need increased technical and financial support to develop their businesses in response to the new external environment brought about by decoupling, increased market opportunity and the challenges posed by more volatile international markets. Through its Business and Technology (B&T) service Teagasc will continue to spearhead the campaign to increase the competitiveness in Irish agriculture (Goal 1 in the Teagasc Statement of Strategy 2008-2010). Specialised enterprise advisers (dairy, drystock, tillage, pigs, horticulture and forestry) and regional specialists will deliver the programme. The key components of the B&T programme will include enhanced enterprise stakeholder partnership teams, increased use of financial/business tools (the profit monitor, cost control planner and other financial tools), monitor farms, discussion groups, industry joint programmes, focused farm visits, business /technology training for adult farmers and a comprehensive series of public events. A key focus for 2010 will be the further development of BETTER farms in the main enterprises. These are designed to improve technology transfer by developing a network of demonstration farms incorporating applied research. In 2010 the Better Farm Programme will be fully operationalised in the dairy and tillage sectors. The ongoing use of financial analysis tools, for benchmarking, investment appraisal, budgeting and longer term planning will be a major activity of the B&T service advisers and specialists. B&T advisers will:

• Assist clients to deal with the challenges of maintaining their finances posed by low market prices and the poor availability of credit.

• Assist clients in planning to take advantage of opportunities presented by decoupling and reduced controls on production. Emphasis will be placed on improving grassland management, improving breeding performance and lowering the cost of production while ensuring environmental sustainability and long term viability.

• Be proactive in helping clients look at their resources and identify new opportunities. New systems of production will be promoted, e.g. low cost cattle production, organics etc.

• Exploit the value added potential of existing lower cost production systems for example; joint programmes with industry to promote the health benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA’s) in grass based-beef and milk systems.

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• Play a key role in providing agronomic and environmental advice on the use of land as an alterative energy source and for recycling wastes.

2010 will see a stronger focus on farm planning, building on the mainstreamed options programme. The performance indicators for the B&T programme are shown in Table 40. Table 40: Performance indicators for the business and technology programme Programme Output/Activity Indicators Impact Indicators Business and Technology

• No of Contracted Clients – 16,000

• No of Discussion Groups 400 • BETTER FARMS

• Beef 15 • Sheep 6 • Tillage 3

• No Of Monitor Farms - 100 • No of Profit Monitor

Participants – 3000

Dairy • Increase EBI among Dairy Clients by

€8/Annum • Increase grass utilisation by 5% per annum

from 7.8 tonnes to 10.8 tonnes over 5 years • Average E-PM Production costs less than

€2.00 (14 c/l) spring and €2.50 (17 c/l) per kg MS.

• Increase discussion groups by 50 Drystock • Greater than 20 % EPM clients producing

over 750Kg beef / ha • Greater than 50 % EPM clients achieving

200+ days at grass • Greater than 40 % EPM clients achieving

12.5 lambs sold per Ha Tillage • Increased output: > 50% €PM clients yield =

national yield + 10% • Decreased costs: > 50% €PM clients

producing costs = National cost - 10% • 15% of clients will be recording physical and

financial details and 50% meeting Teagasc Benchmarks

4.4.1 Business and Technology - Dairying The key objective is to develop a competitive and innovative dairy farming business to meet the challenges of a volatile milk price:

• Improving dairy farm profits by reducing costs, improving output and focusing heavily on grassland management.

• Improving genetic status of the dairy herd by increasing EBI thus leading to increased profitability.

• Evaluating client development options through the Options Analysis Programme and the establishment of five year farm development plans.

• Increase dairy discussion groups to 400 by 2012. • Develop labour efficient systems to accommodate the expansion plans of existing and

new dairy clients. • Improving Farm Profits

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The target is to increase by 800 the number of farmers participating in both the Dairy Profit Monitor and Cost Control Planner and increase farm profits for participants by 6%.

• Improving Herd Profitability The target is to improve herd EBI by €8 cow/year across the 5,700 herds involved in milk recording (352,000 cows). This will be potentially worth € 8.48 million in extra profit.

• Activities Discussion groups, Better/monitor farms, joint Teagasc/industry programmes, farm visits, short courses and monthly newsletters will continue to be the key methods of technology transfer. During 2010, discussion group numbers will be increased and monitor farms will be refocused to reflect the challenging environment for dairy farmers. Dairy partnerships will be promoted in the course of the year. It is anticipated that the present level of partnership participation of 500 will be maintained unless policy changes make it more attractive. Quota management, the efficient use of labour on dairy farms, food safety issues and bio security will form part of ongoing discussion with farmers. Support will also be available to clients preparing nutrient management plans, dairy development plans and single farm payment applications. 4.4.2 Business and Technology - Drystock (Beef and Sheep) The key objective is to develop a market orientated, competitive and innovative drystock farming sector to satisfy premium EU markets by:

• Providing an options analysis programme to commercial drystock clients that will focus on optimising the contribution to household income from the drystock enterprise.

• Improving drystock farming profitability through efficiency improvements based on reducing unit cost of production and increasing output value.

• Promoting sustainable and profitable drystock systems that will safeguard eligibility for the Single Farm Payment and maximise participation in REPS.

• Improving Farm Profitability

The key components of improving profitability in future will be improved breeding and production efficiency that maximise the contribution from well-managed grazed grass to ensure reduction of unit cost of production. For beef farmers undertaking the Teagasc Drystock e-Profit monitor, the target is to increase the percentage achieving production costs of €1.30 per kg liveweight from 35% in 2003 to 55% in 2010. The financial target for farmers with profit monitors is to increase gross margin per annum by 10%. For suckler herd owners, the target is to increase participation with ICBF to accelerate beef breed improvement. For sheep farmers with profit monitors, the target is to increase weaning rate from 1.3 lambs per ewe in 2003 to 1.4 lambs per ewe in 2010.

• Activities Farm visits, public meetings, short courses, discussion groups, monitor farms, joint industry programmes, monthly newsletters to clients and other mass media communication will continue to be the vehicles for technology transfer and promotion of the adoption of new practices. The target for 2010 will be to continue to expand the number of active discussion groups. The full integration of the BETTER farms into the advisory programme will be one of the key developments for 2010.

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Improving labour efficiency will continue to be a central issue in advisory activities. Significant efforts will be made to ensure optimal use of fertilisers from economic and environmental perspectives by drystock farmers in 2010. A fertiliser planning service will be in place. 4.4.3 Business and Technology - Tillage Tillage crops make up 9% of the total area farmed in Ireland. The number of growers has stabilised at around 16,000 in recent years, having dropped from 100,000 in the mid 1970’s. The tillage advisory programme for 2010 will provide direction for growers and the industry. The priority for 2010 will be to give clear direction to tillage farmers by helping them assess their current technical and financial situation and outline appropriate future options. In 2010, B&T advisers will focus on farm planning, business appraisal and intensive agronomy reflecting renewed emphasis on farming for profit. The BETTER farm model will be established for the first time in tillage crops in 2010. These farms will be used to get research/innovation into practice and also alert research to possible new developments. In addition, these farms will showcase how the Teagasc B&T advisory service can improve profitability and labour/machinery efficiency. Using a group of three selected tillage farms spread throughout the country B&T advisors will:

• Monitor physical and financial information • Set benchmarks for efficient production • Encourage technology transfer • Measure the impact of adoption of new technologies • Demonstrate the relevance of innovation through research to profitable & sustainable

tillage farming • Identify areas for further research

The tillage programme will provide the following range of services to clients:

• Crop agronomy will include timely advice by means of farm visits, discussion groups, crop walking, and events such as seminars, open days, field walks. Time critical information will be communicated via newsletters, texts, crop reports, emails and website.

• Teagasc e-Crops, Profit Monitor and machinery/labour software will be used to benchmark and highlight potential developments.

• Teagasc advisory service will work to support increased scale of operation through the establishment of procedures to facilitate Share Farming and other partnership arrangements.

• Short (12-15 hours) adult training will be provided to enable farmers to keep abreast of new business and technology as well as environmental and regulatory developments.

The implications of decoupling, stacking and cross compliance for crop production and sustainable incomes will be assessed and communicated to clients and the public. Opportunities for maximising incomes in crop production by increasing yields and cutting costs will be demonstrated by e-Profit monitor and monitor farm results. Renewable energy options will be evaluated with the cooperation of interested parties. Production, supply and marketing for bio-energy will be investigated and appropriate solutions

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pursued where feasible. We aim to establish a clear programme to lead this emerging area which has considerable potential. The tillage advisory service will promote sustainable farming by adopting integrated crop production techniques and best practice technology. Soil analysis and nutrient management advice will be used. Research and decision support systems will be used to guide good practices on critical use of plant protection products. The service will lead the adoption of best practice and compliance with the highest consumer requirements in premium markets. The grain assurance scheme will be promoted and growers will be supported to fulfil the requirements of the Scheme. The ongoing programme of activities, including seminars, crop walks, farm visits, consultations, crop reports and newsletters, will continue. There are currently 20 crop discussion groups in operation and it is planned to increase this to 22 in 2010. Monitor farms located in each of the major tillage counties will be continuously evaluated. Training activities for adult farmers will include short courses on technical and business aspects of tillage farming. A new Crops Nutrition training course will be run for industry people who advise on soil/plant nutrition. 4.5 Environment and Technology Programme The new Environment and Technology (E&T) programme, focused on providing environmental services, training and advice to farmers, was developed in consultation with stakeholders. This programme is designed to support the development of sustainable farming through the provision of REPS support services, nutrient/manure management planning services and the transfer of environmental technologies from research. To enhance the impact of the E&T programme a key priority will be to develop a collaborative approach with Teagasc researchers and education advisors. The key activities of this programme are:

• To provide REPS support services to client farmers. • To contribute to national water quality and climate change objectives • To deliver fertiliser/manure planning service to underpin nitrates obligations including

derogation planning requirements and cross compliance. • To ensure that the new REPS 4 training modules are delivered to meet scheme timelines. • To improve the profitability of farms by delivering technology advice to all clients

focused on reducing costs, improving the quality and value of outputs and improving labour efficiency.

REPS The E&T Programme will ensure that farmers are supported in meeting compliance requirements of the REPS Scheme and to comply with national and EU environmental legislation. Support will be provided to 25,000 farmers in REPS and approximately 3,000 farmers who have applied for nitrates derogation. Key elements of this programme are REPS support services, nutrient/manure management embracing water quality protection, and countryside management. Teagasc will support the development and implementation of the new agri-environmental scheme due to be introduced in 2010 and play a leading role in promoting its uptake and assisting farmers

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with its implementation. In future, a greater emphasis will be placed on training programmes for habitat creation and enhancement. Natural Heritage The National Biodiversity Plan has highlighted the need for natural heritage protection. It is anticipated that the new agri-environmental scheme will increasingly prioritise biodiversity. Teagasc is supporting the new emphasis on biodiversity in its broad based countryside management programme. The programme will underpin the continuation of sustainable farming in these areas by promoting complementary income-generating activities. Table 41 shows the output and impact indicators for this programme. Table 41: Performance indicators for the environment and technology programme

Programme Output/Activity Indicators Impact Indicators Environment and GFP

• No. of contracted clients – 27,000 • No. of REPS clients – 25,000 • No. discussion groups - 100 • No. of derogation plans - 3,000 • No. of fertiliser and derrogation plans

checked/updated - 40,000 • Hold Environmental Cross Comp

Events - 20 • No. of public biodiversity/clover events

36 • 1 National Environmental Conference • No. of accredited hedgerow

maintenance courses - 4

• 73% water at Q4 + by 2010 • Agri-GHGs reduction to 2.4 kt

Equivalent by 2012 • REPS Soil P Average 6.5 by 2010

4.6 Rural Innovation Programme The Options Programme will assist farm families and the wider agri-industry to achieve a sustainable rural economy. The advisory service will deliver an options programme to farm families; to assist farmers adjust to changes affecting them and to support farm families in identifying options and pathways for development and viability. The pathways identified will include developing profitable and sustainable farm enterprises, identifying diversification opportunities and other supplementary enterprises and developing small businesses. The programme will be delivered by all advisers, Business and Technology, Environment and Technology, Adult Education and Rural Innovation. Land Use diversification and Small Business Support Teagasc has reorganised its support for diversified activities by establishing a number of specialised advisers to support the development of farm enterprises in equine production, deer production, organic farming, and poultry production. The service will also support agri-tourism ventures, artisan and farm based food producers and farmers markets. The recently established service to provide specialist business planning support, training and mentoring to individuals or groups who are interested in starting a rural business will increase the scope of its activities. This will be spearheaded by the annual Innovation for Rural Business Awards Competition.

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A major development for 2009 was the appointment of 27 Teagasc staff members to the boards of 31 Local Action Companies. Teagasc is now in the process of forming strong partnerships with each company to ensure the best use of scarce resources. Six advisers have been allocated to work full time in artisan food and rural tourism. These will be supported by one national rural tourism specialist based in Athenry and three national artisan food specialists; two based in Moorepark and one in Ashtown. Teagasc will target clients of the advisory service with the business acumen to engage in on-farm diversification in artisan food and it is expected that training in speciality food will be provided to some 200 farm operators in 2010. This approach is in line with Axis 3 of the Strategy for Rural Development 2007 to 2013. Table 42: Performance indicators for the rural development programme Programme Output/Activity Indicators Impact Indicators Rural Innovation

• No. of clients participating and planned in the options programme - 2000

• Rural Business Start-ups and Developments supported 500

• No. of farm families referred to training programmes - 700

• No of Alternative Enterprise Public Events (Organic, Equine, Artisan Food & Rural Tourism) – 50

• 75% implementation of Action Plans as per review

• 5% of Agricultural Output Organic by 2012

4.7 Forestry Development Unit The overall aim of the Forestry Development Programme is to provide an integrated research, advisory and education /training programme focused on the needs of the farm-forestry sector in Ireland. Currently, over 15,000 landowners own in excess of 320,000 hectares of forestry and up to 1,000 land owner’s plant additional land annually. They are predominantly farmers and most have a limited knowledge of this new farm enterprise. Objectives

• To encourage the maximum number of farmers optimize their incomes by to developing a forestry enterprise.

• To promote, inform and educate farmers in using sustainable forest management practices. to maximize profitability and optimize non-timber benefits

• To advise and support farmers in the development of structures to harvest and market their timber and to investigate and develop appropriate technologies and structures for the thinning, harvesting and marketing of farm forestry, especially given the emerging wood energy market.

• To upgrade the quality of hardwood tree species and develop broadleaf management protocols.

Programmes to be delivered in 2010 The following research programme will be delivered in 2010

• Broadleaf Silviculture

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• Broadleaf Tree Breeding • Thinning & Harvesting • Forest Productivity and Soils • Forest Economics and Valuation • Wood Energy

Major Focus for 2010 2010 will see a continuation of the successful development of forestry producer groups around the country. A programme will be undertaken to target areas with identified potential for forest development with intensive promotion, advisory and training activities. The Afforestation Scheme, FEPS scheme and Native Woodland Scheme will be central to promotional efforts. 4.8 Horticulture Development Unit The overall aim of the Horticulture Development Programme is to provide an integrated research, advisory and education /training programme that provides the support and leadership necessary to underpin the competitiveness of the commercial horticulture sector. Despite strong competition from international markets and a continuing price cost squeeze on producers, farm gate output will be maintained at approximately €300m (excluding potatoes). Objectives Efficiency in production, enterprise development and output per labour unit will be the main focus of the unit. Integrated Crop Management (ICMS) and Decision Support Systems, aimed at reducing the usage of pesticides, will be an increasing strategy of crop production that will comply with legal standards and the protocols of the major multiples. Other specific objectives include:

• Develop competitive mushroom enterprises for the maximum number of producers. • Promote greater levels of efficiency in the hardy nursery stock sector. • Increase the level of investment for expansion and mechanisation in Irish nurseries. • Increase the level of output per unit area among soft fruit producers. • Improve profitability of protected strawberries. • Maintain the number of fresh market top fruit growers at 36 units of production. • Increase supplies of processing apples for juice and cider. • Maintain and develop market share for Irish grown vegetables. • Promote vegetable enterprise planning through mechanisation and efficiency

improvements. Major Focus for 2010 Advisory programmes will be implemented across all of the Area Units in 2010 to meet the needs of growers of vegetable crops, mushrooms, fruit, nursery stock, protected crops and foliage The priorities in Research include new projects in Mushrooms, to initiate projects in Nursery Stock and Top Fruit and continue the ongoing projects. 2010 will see the continued support of the NDP funded Horticultural Grants Scheme with up to 200 Business Plans being developed to support applications. Given the economic climate, cash flows and business projections will need to be developed to support credit applications for business development by growers.

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Work based training programmes will continue to be rolled out across the mushroom sector. National conferences are planned for, Nursery Stock and Soft Fruit. The adoption of ICM will continue to be a priority in all advisory programmes. 4.9 Pigs Development Unit The overall aim of the Pigs Development Programme is to provide an integrated research, advisory and education /training programme focused on the needs of the pig sector in Ireland. The programme for 2010 has been planned with the assistance of the Pig Industry Advisory Committee (Partnership Group), which has representatives of Teagasc, Irish Farmers’ Association, Irish Association of Pigmeat Processors, Irish Grain and Feed Association, Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and an independent chairman. Objectives The main objectives of the research and advisory programme are:

• To reduce production costs at farm level to ensure the industry is competitive relative to international benchmarks.

• To assist producers in compliance with new regulatory requirements in animal welfare, environment and manure management.

• To enhance the quality of pigmeat, including leanness, eating quality, safety and wholesomeness.

Major Focus for 2010 Feed represents about two-thirds of the cost of producing pig meat. The priorities of the research programme will continue to be the nutrition and management of sows and growing pigs. There will be an increased emphasis on energy production from pig manure and the safety of novel feeds in the 2010 programme. The advisory and training programme in 2010 will focus on:

• The lowering of production costs • Training of staff on farms • Benchmarking of pig unit physical and financial performance using PIGSYS • Improved utilization of pig manure.

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5. EDUCATION PROGRAMME 5.1 Overview The information revolution that is driving changes throughout the economy, along with advances in science and technology, are transforming the agricultural industry at an increasing pace and making it a more knowledge-intensive industry. This shift affects all producers, large and small. While farm operators are diverse and the nature of the challenges may vary, the capacity to succeed depends on more than just the scale of the farm operation. As agriculture becomes more knowledge-intensive, farm management skills and knowledge become more complex and even more critical for success. In a rapidly changing environment, strategic business planning and continuous learning are increasing in importance. Lifelong learning and upgrading skills can increase the performance of individual operations and the industry as a whole. Teagasc will contribute to achieving the goals of the Lisbon and Copenhagen Declarations by ensuring that its education programmes are continually upgraded to the highest international standards. It is education that will produce the bio-economy leaders of the future. Implementing the recent review of our education and training service will ensure that the programmes are student-centred, based on a platform of innovation and excellence and respond to the need for a competitive bio-economy. The recent review of colleges has identified the need to ensure critical mass within our college network of staff, students and facilities on a par with the best in the sector. Our strategy will be to significantly integrate our education activities with our knowledge generation, procurement and transfer activities. College farms will be used to quantify the benefits of and demonstrate state-of-the-art production technologies through involvement in our new BETTER (business, environment and technology through training, extension and research) farm programme. Our educational programme strategy will include

• Incorporating management practices and technologies on the home farm, supervised project work and discussion groups: linkages with higher level education institutions will be extended, so that students can progress from certificate to honours degree and beyond.

• Being the main provider of further education for school leavers in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and equine studies, we will place an increased emphasis on advanced courses and on progressing to higher-level programmes in these areas.

• Collaborating with other higher-level educational service providers, Teagasc will provide the leadership to develop high-quality, relevant and applied higher-level educational programmes: Teagasc will embark on new ‘business and technology’ degree programmes, commencing with a dairying programme, in collaboration with university partners. This programme and similar initiatives in the future will provide future generations of farmers with the entrepreneurial skills and international experience to participate in competitive and sustainable farming systems.

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Table 43: 2009 Staff numbers for the Education Programme Education Programme Staff Professional Support Total HQ staff 3 5 8 Ballyhaise Agricultural College 8 27 35 Botanic Gardens 10.5 8.5 19 Clonakilty College 6 23 29 Kildalton College 19 35 54 Curriculum Development Unit 6 1 7 Regional Education Centres* 29 13.5 42.5 78.5 108 186.5 Private Colleges** Gurteen College 6.5 8 14.5 Mountbellew College 7 9 16 Pallaskenry College 9 7 16 22.5 24 46.5

Total 101 132 233 Source: CoreHR Table 44: 2010 performance indicators for college courses

Performance Indicator 2010/2011 Number

Participating

2010/2011 FTE

Participating Higher Level Ordinary Degree in Agriculture 200 100 Ordinary Degree in Horticulture 300 150 Other Third Level Programmes 200 100 Further Level Advanced Cert in Agriculture 400 265 Advanced Cert in Agric (Mature) 400 270 Advanced Cert in Horticulture 160 106 Other Further Level Programmes 180 120 Number of Participants in Teagasc E-learning Courses

300

Percentage Graduating 80 Percentage Achieving Merit for Distinction 50 Number of careers events at colleges 14 Number attending careers events at colleges 1,750 Number completing course and career planning modules

450

Number of Secondary Schools visited 160 Table 45: 2010 performance indicators for adult farmer training

Performance Indicator 2010 Number of ACA Courses for Adult Farmers 18 Number Participating 400 Number of ACA (Replacement 180 hour) 9 Number Participating 250

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Number of Business & Technology courses 72 Number Participating 1,200 Number of Rural Viability Courses 40 Number Participating 1,000 Number of Environment/REPS Courses 160 Number Participating 4,000 Number of Forestry Courses 30 Number Participating 600 Number of Cross Compliance/Other Courses 50 Number Participating 1,200

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5.2 Education and Training The Teagasc 2030 Foresight Report, the Teagasc Change Programme 2009-2013, the Statement of Strategy 2008-2010, the Forum Review of the Provision of Agricultural Education and Training by Teagasc (2005) and the Review of Colleges (2008) will continue to provide the framework for the Education and Training Programme over the coming years. Education of young entrants will, in the main, continue to be provided at colleges. It is recognised that the role of colleges is changing dramatically. Students are increasingly more inclined to commute from home for their training. The agricultural colleges of the future, while still meeting the needs of young entrants, will also need to integrate more with the provision of education for adults and part-time farmers and also with research. Colleges and their staff are best equipped to provide skills training, whether at the college or local level, and should be involved in skills training as part of local Advanced Certificate in Agriculture programmes or in skills training modules for adult farmers. Colleges will also be utilised more as regional development centres where, in collaboration with research colleagues through the BETTER Farm Programme, the college farm production systems can be used to assess and demonstrate to students and farmer groups the most recent findings from research. The increasing emphasis on environmental, animal welfare and food safety issues is a further challenge. This, together with the need to keep abreast of the latest production technologies and financial management techniques, will require a comprehensive programme of life-long learning for adults involved in farming. Teagasc is committed to an expansion of its life-long learning programme, which currently provides training to over 11,000 adult farmers each year. Adult farmer education will be delivered on a modular basis with standardised syllabi and assessment procedures, thereby facilitating the ongoing accumulation of credits. The adult farmer education programme will be one of the key delivery mechanisms for advisory programmes, including the Rural Development Programme, the Environment and Technology Programme and the Business and Technology Programme. 5.2.1 New Developments

• Establishment of National Colleges and Regional Educational Centres The proposed establishment of two National Agricultural Colleges and 9 Regional Education Centres (RECs) aims to streamline Teagasc’s delivery of agricultural education to young and adult, full-time and part-time farmers. The RECs will be strategically located and, as specialized educational centres, will play a key role in the pursuit of excellence in the delivery of Teagasc’s agricultural education programme. It is envisaged that the RECs will report to one of the two National Agricultural Colleges and will be staffed by a mixture of teachers, technicians and education officers. The centres will also include Rural Development staff who will deliver education and training programmes in the areas of farm-household business planning and investment appraisal. The selected national colleges are Ballyhaise and Kildalton in respect of agriculture and the National Botanic Gardens in respect of Horticulture. The Regional Education Centres will report into one of the two national agricultural colleges while horticultural education and training,

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including adult horticultural education on a national basis, will be consolidated under a single management structure at the selected horticultural college. Clonakilty will become a Regional Education Centre but with an enhanced emphasis on applied research and demonstration activities through participation in the Dairying and Cattle BETTER farm programmes. The remaining three private colleges have been invited to apply to become Regional Education Centres but the Teagasc budgetary situation may require a decision to discontinue support for these colleges. It is also planned, where appropriate, to avail of the facilities at the major Teagasc centres. The following is the proposed location of the Regional Education Centres. • Clonakilty • Pallaskenry (or Newcastlewest) • Gurteen (or Nenagh) • Mountbellew (or Mellows) • Oak Park • Moorepark • Grange • Sligo • Longford It is envisaged that while the above named centres will act as the location for Regional Education Centres, courses may be delivered at other locations within the catchment area depending on demand and, indeed, specific courses may be rotated between a number of locations so as to facilitate the participants. The National Colleges and Regional Educational Centres will deliver the following further education courses in accordance with the Teagasc Quality Assurance System which has been agreed with FETAC:

• Full-time Advanced Certificate in Agriculture Courses • Part-time Advanced Certificate in Agriculture Courses outside of normal hours (normal

hours considered to be Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm) • Part-time Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (180 Hour Replacement Course) • eCourses with formal course delivery outside of normal hours • Adult short courses during normal working hours and outside of normal hours • Practical training and proficiency testing for adjacent RECs (in the case of colleges)

It is envisaged that all of the National Colleges and RECs will also have a Rural Innovation Officer providing support to clients involved in diversification through a combination of training courses and mentoring support. It is also envisaged that staff in the Advisory Directorate will be involved in the delivery of the Advanced Certificate in Agriculture and particularly in the delivery of lifelong learning courses for adult farmers.

• FETAC Common Awards System The major task of migrating all Teagasc awards to the FETAC Common Awards System is now underway and will be completed by the end of 2010. This means that 54 “locked” awards which currently can only be delivered by Teagasc will be available to all registered providers. It also means that awards which are currently the sole preserve of other providers will now be available

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to Teagasc. As part of the migration process, awards will need to be converted, harmonised or reviewed. It has been decided to convert agricultural and food awards and to carry out a complete review of horticultural and forestry awards. A review of equine awards will also be required but given the multiplicity of agencies involved it is unlikely that Teagasc will take the lead role in this area. The process will take two years to complete and will involve a major effort by Teagasc’s education staff. Providers will also need to have programmes leading to these awards accredited by FETAC but in the case of Teagasc the organisation will have delegated authority to approve its own programmes.

• Adult Farmer Education Teagasc 2030 also placed significant emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning in underpinning the ongoing development of the bio-economy. Teagasc already has a very significant adult education programme with over 11,000 farmers participating in short courses in 2009. This is in addition to the 300 discussion groups and the vast number of non-formal education and training activities taking place at local centres and colleges. It is planned to further develop our adult farmer education programme by making it a key delivery mechanism of our advisory programmes.

• Dairy Degree Programme UCD in conjunction with Teagasc have launched a four year dairy degree programme aimed at producing the managers of the large commercial dairy farms of the future. There will be a strong business emphasis in the programme along with exposure to top class farmers and researchers. The course will be held primarily at UCD but will include on-farm placement hopefully in New Zealand as well as some time at Moorepark and at Kildalton Agricultural College. The first group of students will be enrolled for the 2009/2010 academic year.

• On Farm Work Experience Currently all students completing full time Teagasc courses complete a period of work experience placement on registered farms/hosts and these students are placed as agricultural workers on the terms and conditions as set down by the Agricultural Workers Joint Labour Committee( JLC). Because of difficulties in providing work experience under the current conditions a review was carried out in spring 2009. The first stage of the review sought to clarify if Teagasc could place students as “students” rather than as “Agricultural Workers” and set down Teagasc terms and conditions for same. Following discussions with the Labour Court and the National Employment Rights Authority it was confirmed that Teagasc students in full time education could be placed under Teagasc placement conditions and were not covered under the Agricultural Workers JLC. Subsequently the review considered the appropriate level of payment and recommended that host farmers should make a round sum expenses payment of €122 per week to students. No Teagasc placement allowance would be made to the host farmer. This sum would be subject to PAYE and PRSI. These new arrangements will apply to all new placements from 1 January 2010.

• Online Learning As part of the Teagasc Change Programme 2009-2013 the eCollege will cease to organise and deliver courses. Instead, the staff will provide support to elearning programmes offered by the three National Colleges and the nine Regional Educational Centres. In 2010 it is planned to provide the Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (180 Hour Replacement Programme) online at

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six locations to 150 learners. In addition it is planned to continue to develop online training programmes in the horticulture, poultry, food training and organic production areas.

• Involvement in Higher Education It is planned to continue with existing higher education provision only where the programmes are consistent with the Teagasc remit and where Teagasc can recover the marginal costs from the partner institution. In the event of further college closures joint higher education programmes currently delivered by these colleges will be discontinued. New or additional higher education programmes will only be considered on the basis of full cost recovery. 5.3 Education and Training Programmes The Education and Training Programme reflects the high level goals in the Statement of Strategy and aims to meet the development needs of: • Future commercial farmers and those seeking employment in industries and services

ancillary to agriculture: To enrol annually some 200 to 250 young people embarking upon careers in commercial farming or those seeking employment in industries and services ancillary to agriculture, and to ensure that upwards of 160 to 180 of these qualify with a higher-level qualification from the joint Teagasc/Institutes of Technology programmes accredited by HETAC.

• Future full and part-time farmers: To enrol 600 to 700 young people and adults taking over the operations of both full-time and part-time farm enterprises and ensure that upwards of 500 to 600 of these qualify with Advanced Certificates in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry or Equine accredited by FETAC.

• Adult farmer education: To meet the growing demand from adult farmers for new skills/additional information to enable them improve or diversify their farm business and to meet the requirements of cross-compliance, it is proposed to provide training to 10,000 adult farmers each year.

5.3.1 Higher Level Courses The organisation will continue to provide higher-level training, accredited by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, up to Ordinary Bachelors Degree level, in conjunction with the Institutes of Technology. A key component of all higher-level programmes is the opportunity to progress up to honours degree level. Higher Certificate in Agriculture Three agricultural college/Institutes of Technology partnerships offer the Higher Certificate in Agriculture. These are: • Clonakilty Agricultural College and Cork Institute of Technology. • Kildalton Agricultural College and Waterford Institute of Technology. • Ballyhaise Agricultural College and Dundalk Institute of Technology. Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture An add-on ordinary Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture is offered by: • Clonakilty Agricultural College and Cork Institute of Technology. • Kildalton Agricultural College and Waterford Institute of Technology. • Ballyhaise Agricultural College and Dundalk Institute of Technology Bachelor of Science in Horticulture

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The course is suitable for people who are interested in careers in horticulture. Because of the downturn in the economy, the emphasis have changed somewhat from the amenity and landscaping areas to production horticulture. Two horticultural colleges /Institutes of Technology partnerships offer the Ordinary Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture. These are: • Kildalton Horticultural College and Waterford Institute of Technology. • College of Horticulture at the National Botanic Gardens and Institute of Technology

Blanchardstown. At the end of the three-year programme, students may apply for a limited number of places on the B.Agr.Sc. (Hort) course at UCD or progress to the Honours Degree Programme in Horticulture available in both Waterford Institute of Technology. Higher Certificate in Agricultural Science

• Kildalton Agricultural College and Waterford Institute of Technology. Bachelor of Business in Rural Enterprise and Agri-Business

• Mountbellew Agricultural College and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Environmental Management.

• Mountbellow Agricultural College and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Higher Certificate in Business and Equine Studies

• Gurteen Agricultural College and Athlone Institute of Technology. Higher Certificate in Technology and Agricultural Mechanisation

• Pallaskenry Agricultural College and Limerick Institute of Technology. 5.3.2 Further Level Courses With the strong emphasis on livestock, crop husbandry, horticulture or other alternative enterprises, combined with basic training in farm business management, Teagasc Further Level training programmes are specifically designed to meet the needs of school leavers who do not wish to pursue the higher education programmes outlined above. These courses, accredited by the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC), are available in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and horses. Students will have the opportunity of transferring /progressing to linked third-level courses at Institutes of Technology. Young entrant training will be provided, in the main, at the colleges. The following 14 nationally accredited Further Level certificate courses in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and horses will be provided in eight agricultural and horticultural colleges. • Level 5 Certificate in Agriculture • Advanced Certificate in Agriculture • Advanced Certificate in Agriculture (Part-Time Farmers) • Advanced Certificate in Dairy Herd Management • Advanced Certificate in Drystock Management • Advanced Certificate in Agricultural Mechanisation • Advanced Certificate in Farm Management • Advanced Certificate in Machinery and Crop Management • Level 4 Certificate in Horticulture • Level 5 Certificate in Horticulture • Advanced Certificate in Horticulture • Advanced Certificate in Horsemanship & Stud Management

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• Advanced Certificate in Forestry • Advanced Certificate in Greenkeeping On farm work experience will continue to be an integral component of all further and higher-level programmes. Systematic selection and training of training hosts will be undertaken. 5.3.3 Education for Part-time Farmers To meet the education and training needs of the growing number of part-time farmers, the Advanced Certificate in Agriculture will be provided at local level, outside of normal working hours. The programme, which extends over two to three years, will be made available in all Agricultural Colleges and Regional Educational Centres. It is planned to commence nine programmes in 2010, along with an additional nine programmes already up and running. The Advanced Certificate in Farming, replacing the existing 100 hour and 80 hour training programmes, will continue to be provided each year across all Agricultural Colleges and Regional Educational Centres to facilitate part-time farmers with higher-level training who wish to avail of state aids and incentives. The online version of this programme will also be offered at six centres in 2010. 5.3.4 Adult Farmer Education The comprehensive adult farmer training programme will be aimed at equipping farm families with the latest technology and information on production, financial management, environmental control, food safety and quality, information technology and rural diversification. The Adult Farmer Education Programme will include a wide range of courses of varying duration in the following areas: • Advanced Certificate in Agriculture • Environment and Food Safety Courses • REPS Courses • Business, Technology and Financial Management Courses • Information Technology Courses • Discussion Groups • Forestry Courses • Rural Development Courses • Farm Safety Courses • Food Industry Training