Newly appointed director rises to Teagasc task

THERE is a welcome breath of fresh air blowing through Teagasc as far as farmers are concerned — what a change from the deep rift which developed in recent years.

The new advisory programme promises a fast and efficient response to farmer problems, backed by up-to-the-minute research.

In his first six weeks as the freshly appointed Teagasc director, Professor Gerry Boyle has already cemented a new relationship with farmers, showing a down-to-earth understanding of their problems and proving a very effective communicator. The new director, internationally acclaimed as an agricultural economist, has chosen to live in a rural community in a difficult farming area in North Tipperary, not far from his birthplace on a farm near Borrisoleigh. He can see the practicalities of farming life at first hand, in an area which hosted one of the first farm schools in Co Tipperary. It was run by Dr Tom Walsh, in his first appointment as a young agricultural instructor. When the Agricultural Institute was established in 1958, the government appointed Dr Walsh as its first director, and he was appointed the first director of ACOT in 1980 when it took over agricultural education and training.