Milk production goals to be boosted by €10m departmental funding

AGRI-FOOD scientists are to benefit from €10 million departmental research funding that will help deliver the milk production goals outlined in Food Harvest 2020.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith confirmed yesterday that the monies will support FIRM, RSF and COFORD, the three competitive research programmes funded by the state and carried out in third-level colleges and research institutes.

Mr Smith said: “One of the Food Harvest 2020 targets is to increase the production of milk by 50% over the next ten years and one of the initiatives under the FIRM programme will provide the scientific knowledge to add value to this sector.”