Teagasc hampered by staff restrictions
“We are encountering delays with that at the moment because of the shortage of key staff but, hopefully, that will be resolved in the not too distant future,” said Teagasc Director Professor Gerry Boyle.
Addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, he said, “We see a huge demand for this.”
He said Teagasc is being bombarded by farmers who want assistance with expansion, but is hampered by its staff restrictions.
Teagasc front-line advisory staff has shrank 32%, from 400 in 2008, to 235.
“Remarkably, we have managed to maintain our paying client numbers at in or around 45,000,” said Mr Boyle.
“There is significant variation around the country, with staff problems more acute in some areas than others. We have particular challenges in Cork, Meath, Mayo, Tipperary, Galway, Clare and Kerry-Limerick, and impending difficulties in some other counties, as staff plan to retire in the next couple of years.”
“We have never experienced more intensive demand for our services than we have in recent years, from both farms and processing.”
“For the past couple of months, most of our advisers have been tied up with applications for GLAS, single farm payments, the young farmers scheme etc, when I think we all agree they should be out on the farms supporting farmers. We will see a shift from that type of activity, and more towards development.”
