Teagasc faces €15 million deficit due to cutbacks
Thomas Honner, a 32-year-old farmer from Danesfort, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, took over as leader of the 8,000-member 300 club organisation at its AGM in Ballyvourney, Co Cork, at the weekend.
Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, is facing a €15 million deficit in its 2003 budget due to government cutbacks.
Capital funding has also been cut from €14.5 million in 2002 to €6 million this year.
As a result, Teagasc recently announced a rationalistion programme involving the closure of various offices, a move that provoked strong local opposition.
It has now decided to sell its head office in Dublin, a soft fruit research centre at Clonroche, Wexford, its dairy farm at Ballinamore, Co Leitrim and property at Lullymore, Co Kildare.
The sale of advisory offices at Corduff, Co Dublin and in Cork city will also proceed in this first phase of the programme.
Teagasc is continuing to examine the implications for its services of closing down a number of other centres around the country.
But the Macra leader said other implications of the cutbacks in Teagasc, such as the practice of only hiring replacements for one in every three staff who leave, could have much more serious long-term consequences than closing offices.
One of the main challenges facing Teagasc in recent years has been the high-age profile of its staff.
With many staff now due to retire, failure to replace these with young highly motivated people will set the authority back at a time when it could be reinvigorated.
Mr Honner said the uncertain future for “contract” staff was also costing Teagasc some of its brightest and best people, particularly on the research side.
“While I can understand local frustrations, we need an independent and innovative state research, advisory and training service which can give Irish agriculture a competitive advantage.”
Mr Honner said it was vital that the Government gave Teagasc the necessary resources to become a world leader in its field.
