50% reduction in advisors presents real challenge in the years ahead

DIFFICULT days still lie ahead for Teagasc. Particular challenges include a reduction of up to 50% in six years in the number of advisors working directly with farmers, if a high rate of retirements continues.

Teagasc may have to further restrict student enrolment, at a time of unprecedented demand for agricultural education.

More immediately, the Teagasc staffing plan envisages a reduction of 117 workers between now and 2014, while maintaining essential frontline services.

This will require suitable external redeployment opportunities for interested non-frontline staff, and retirement schemes for support staff.

In this respect, the organisation is looking for a break in its Employment Control Framework (ECF) set by the Government, and has asked that the same exceptional ECF terms allowed in the education sector be applied to teachers in its agricultural and horticultural colleges.