Fears agricultural college will not be able to meet demand for places

FARMING families are concerned that Clonakilty Agricultural College in west Cork will not be able to accommodate an increased demand for places, the Dáil was told.

Fine Gael TD Jim O’Keeffe, who raised the issue on the adjournment, said the college took in 76 applicants last year from a total list of over 100.

Already this year there are some 130 applications with an expectation that this will rise to 200 before the college term begins.

“The rub is that, on current indications, there will be fewer teaching staff next year than this year. There will be a principal, five teaching staff plus two technicians and one job-sharing technician to cover the college’s entire student population.”

Mr O’Keeffe said Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle, in seeking to assure Michael Creed TD at a recent Oireachtas Committee meeting, said no student would be turned away because ~of the authority’s rationalisation programme.

He said Prof Boyle described Clonakilty as the regional educational centre for the south-west, spoke about the progress that would be made there and made clear what was being done would enhance the stature of the college.

Mr O’Keeffe said farming will be one of the engines of growth from the point of view of exports and will help to lift Ireland out of the recession.

It would be totally shortsighted to ignore the pool of young farmers and not give them the practical agricultural education they need, the TD claimed.

“The current teacher complement will not be able to cope with the demand. Action is needed now so that the college can make the necessary plans to accommodate the demand, if not in full, as far as possible,” he said.

Minister of State Tony Killeen said he understood Teagasc is fully committed to the development of the Clonakilty college as a first-class facility.

More than €4 million has been invested in upgrading student and farm facilities since 2001.

Earlier this year, the dairy herd from Mellows College was transferred to Clonakilty. It is planned to bring the herd up to 200 cows in the near future.

It is also planned to carry out a comprehensive applied dairy research programme in conjunction with the Moorepark research centre.