Teagasc

Contact: Liam Downey, Director

The agri-food industry in 2010 will be operating in an environment characterised by:

• A sustained focus on competitiveness
• Reduced price supports for agricultural products
• An enlarged European Union
• More liberal world trade, with much reduced protection from global competition
• From 2010 onwards, improved world food prices resulting from the increased demands of amore affluent world population
• Substantially greater requirements in relation to food safety and quality, protection of the environment and animal welfare, allied to changing lifestyles, resulting in more stringent controls over the entire food chain.
• Ubiquitous application of information technology and probably also biotechnology.

Strategic Core Competencies

Having regard to the period of reduced uncertainty following on from the Berlin Agreement, the opportunity must be taken to re-tool the infrastructural support services for the agri-food industry. With the necessary scientific, technological and innovative capacities, the output of the agri-food industry can be maintained and may be expanded. To ensure the future competitiveness of the industry, urgent priority needs to be given to building up the following core competencies:

Production and processing technologies and systems (combined with the necessary training programmes) that meet consumer demands for guaranteed food safety and assured freshness and consistent quality.

Focusing on:

• Developing strategies for grass production, seasonal growth, quality and utilisation, including assessing grass and clover varieties under grazing conditions.
• Developing nutritional and management regimes to improve the quality and safety of milk, beef, sheep and pig meats to enhance their market value.
• Assessing the suitability of different dairy, beef and sheep breeds in grass based production systems and developing new technologies to improve the efficiency and quality of animal production
• Improving tillage and horticultural crop production, with particular regard to increasing production efficiencies while raising product quality and safety and minimising environmental impacts.
• Developing improved systems for the production and management of farm forestry and organic produce.
• Developing preventative measures to ensure the microbiological and chemical safety of Irish food.
• Up-dating the National Food Purity Database, which details the levels of veterinary drugs, antibiotics, pesticides and other residues in foodstuffs.
• Developing technologies for the efficient production of food products of consistent quality that are both wholesome and nutritious, with particular regard to meat, cheese, food ingredients and prepared consumer foods.

Economically competitive and environmentally sustainable farm production and food processing technologies and systems

Focusing on:

• Quantifying the environmental implications of a range of farming systems leading to the development of production practices which will achieve the required environmental targets, with particular regard to quantifying the relationship between soil and fertiliser nutrients and grassland and crop responses
• Modelling the environmental risk of agricultural production systems and practices in different geographical locations
• Quantifying emissions from farming systems including pig, poultry and mushroom enterprises, and identifying strategies to reduce them.

The capacity to monitor, evaluate and harness appropriate developments in biotechnology

Focusing on:

• Assessing both the agronomic performance and environmental risks of transgenic crops under Irish conditions
• Applying gene mapping in conjunction with in vitro culture methods to improve the efficiency of plant breeding and propagation
• Developing DNA based diagnostic tests for plant and animal diseases and pathogens in food production and processing
• Establishing a better understanding of animal reproduction mechanisms, in particular ovulation, oestrus detection and embryo survival
• Identifying genetic markers, including quantitative trait loci, to improve animal growth efficiency and meat and milk quality.
• Developing improved food cultures and novel enzymes to enhance the quality, safety, functional and nutritional attributes of food and ingredients.

Provide the analytical capability to support policy development for the agri-food sector and rural area

Focusing on:

• Further development of quantitative sectoral models for use in projecting the impact of changes arising from further policy reforms, in particular CAP and liberalisation of trade under the WTO.
• Modelling the dynamics of change and assessing the impact of policy and other factors on rural areas
• Developing models of consumer preferences to predict future demand in consumer markets for Irish food products and to guide product development and innovation
• Developing information systems to support the strategic development of the rural economy

Teagasc Services for the Agri-food Industry 2000 – 2005

With the objective of progressively building these essential competencies, Teagasc completed a major strategic planning initiative in 1998, entitled Teagasc 2000. The new focus of Teagasc Research, Advisory and Training Service is set out below.

The new strategy involves a substantial re-orientation of research services towards the critical areas of food innovation, safety and quality. Increased priority is also being devoted to research on competitive and sustainable grass-based milk and meat production. In addition, new research initiatives are being undertaken in economic and policy analysis and in rural development.

The advisory services are being restructured to meet the new demands of competitiveness, viability, sustainability, food safety and quality. Enhanced training programmes are being introduced to meet the specific needs of commercial farmers, together with more flexible and more focused training for part-time farmers.

Many of the new initiatives will be operated as integrated programmes involving all three Teagasc services, thereby capitalising on the unique strength of the organisation.

1. Research

The research strategy is firmly focused on the need to drive down the cost of livestock products in order to fully harness Ireland’s competitive advantage in grassland. It also reflects the importance of innovation, consumer assurance and product quality as the critical market imperatives of sustained food industry development. It involves a number of major new research initiatives as outlined below.

Food Safety Substantial additional resources are being devoted to food safety. Most Irish food companies do not have the scale to invest in food safety research. Also, since the beneficiary is society as a whole, such research is the prime responsibility of the state research agencies. The research programme will be fully integrated with the advisory and training food safety programmes, thereby ensuring maximum benefit to farmers and food processors.

Food Innovation While the strong research focus on cheese, fermented products and food ingredients will be continued, increased priority will be given to technological support required for the further growth of prepared consumer foods.

Beef Quality A new research initiative, involving the National Food Centre and the Beef Production Research Centre at Grange, will address the variable quality of beef. This is of central importance to the future marketability of Irish beef. Particular attention will be given to devising dietary formulations for use in finishing systems designed to improve the eating quality of grass produced beef.

Grassland The objective of the Teagasc research on grassland is to provide the technology which will enable Irish farmers to produce milk at 9p/litre, beef at 143p/kg of carcases and mid-season lamb at 136p/kg of carcases. This will be combined with an evaluation programme of grass and clover varieties. The research will be closely integrated with the National “Cash in on Grass” advisory programme.

Animal Breeding A major international initiative, involving Teagasc and the research organisations in New Zealand, is being undertaken to assess the biological and economic efficiency, in grass-based production systems, of Friesian/Holstein and Friesian dairy cows in Irish, Dutch, North American and New Zealand origin.

Rural Environment To ensure that farmers have the information to operate environmentally-compatible, commercially-viable production systems, an expanded environmental research programme is being put in place.

Economic Analysis Substantial resources are being devoted to developing an econometric model of the agri-food industry, with the objective of strengthening policy formation and improving business planning within the industry. The programme involves Teagasc, University of Missouri, the Department of Agriculture and Food and universities in Ireland.

Rural Development New initiatives on Rural Development include an investigation of market opportunities for new enterprises. Models will also be developed to project the future structure of rural areas and the impact on these areas of policy changes and proposed rural development initiatives. In addition, the economic and technical feasibility of producing organic milk will be investigated and a national forestry soil classification and productivity ranking system is being developed in conjunction with the Forest Service of the Department of Marine and Natural Resources.

2. ADVISORY SERVICES

Teagasc advisory services will play a key role in supporting farm families who need to optimise their incomes from both agricultural production and income support measures. It will guide and promote the adjustment of farming systems to ensure that they meet consumer concerns in relation to food safety and quality, protection of the environment and animal welfare. While the major target group will continue to be those farm families who are heavily dependent on farming for an income, an underlying objective will be to facilitate the emergence of a well educated, dynamic and competitive full-time farming sector which can complete in the more challenging economic environment that will be emerging from the middle of the decade onwards.

The Teagasc advisory service will be working with the government and its industry partners to change attitudes, help farmers acquire new skills to adopt new technologies, improve business methods and make greater use of Information Technology. It has identified the following key directions for its advisory programmes:

• Improving the competitiveness of all farm enterprises through the adoption of lowest cost production technologies, reduced overhead costs and effective analysis of the performance of the farm business.
• Playing a key role in rural viability initiatives, particularly through the provision of a Rural Viability Advisory Programme, and advice and training on diversification.
• Implementing farming systems that are sustainable, especially in terms of environmental impact, with particular attention to efficient fertiliser use and waste management strategies.
• Ensuring that farmers can meet the requirements of food safety schemes and quality assurance programmes, both statutory and voluntary.

Through a sustained investment in communications infrastructure, software development and evaluation, staff training and support, the advisory service will increasingly utilise information technologies in the delivery of advisory and information services. It will also improve the access of rural people to IT facilities and training.

To ensure the more effective delivery of the advisory programmes outlined above, Teagasc’s advisory resources are being organised into the two new services detailed below.

• A Technology and Business Service will have primary responsibility for the transfer of technology and the development of business management service for some 20,000 progressive farmers.
• A Rural Viability Service will target some 60,000 smaller scale and less intensive farmers and will integrate low cost environmentally sensitive farming with the optimisation of income from direct payments. It will implement the Rural Viability Programme which will assist farm families that are under pressure to analyse their current position, improve the efficiency and operation of their farming business and, through better time management, undertake off-farm employment, involving the provision of services locally under contract or diversification.

Only a small percentage of people in rural areas have the capacity or opportunity to use IT for information sourcing. Teagasc has an unparalleled network of offices and training centres throughout rural Ireland. Some 50 of these can be developed into Rural Information Centres where farmers and other rural dwellers can have access to state-of-the-art computer facilities providing access to Internet and Intranet sites together with opportunities for training in IT applications.

3. Training Services

In response to the increased competitive pressures in farming, together with the growing number of part-time farmers and the demand for training in alternative farm and rural-based enterprises, substantial changes are being made in the vocational training services provided by Teagasc. These include the introduction of a number of new training programmes together with fundamental changes in the manner in which some programmes are delivered. The following is an outline of the main initiatives being progressively put in place:

Prospective Commercial Farmers

• A new three-year Diploma in Agriculture is being introduced for young people embarking on a full-time career in commercial farming. The course, which includes a year of work experience, is already being provided in dairying, arable crops, machinery and pigs and will be progressively extended to drystock and other enterprises.
• To cater for the expansion in the amenity and leisure sectors, current courses in Amenity and Commercial Horticulture are being combined into a three-year Diploma in Horticulture. The Programme will involve two years of course work at a Horticulture College and one year of work experience.

Prospective Part-Time Farmers

• The duration of the Certificate in Farming in being reduced from three to two years, but with no diminution in course content. The more concentrated course is expected to be more attractive to participants and will help reduce the tendency to leave second level education before obtaining the Leaving Certificate. All practising part-time farmers will be encouraged to participate in the new two-year Certificate in Farming. However, because of work commitments, many part-time farmers are unable to attend courses during the normal working week. To meet their needs, the Certificate of Farming will be offered in a flexible manner employing Distance Learning where required.
• The integrated Certificate in Farming and Rural Enterprise is the recommended training programme for school leavers taking over the operation of a farm from which they will not make a full income. This two-year programme will combine training in farming with that in a second skill, either in an alternative enterprise, trade or craft, thereby meeting the need for multi-skills training, especially in the smaller farm areas.

Raising Participation Levels in Agriculture Training

Teagasc’s training programmes for young people embarking upon careers in farming and horticulture need to be integrated into the mainstream national training position. With the objective of achieving this, Teagasc is seeking to have its training programmes incorporated into the CAO/CAS application system. This together with the validation of the appropriate courses through the proposed National Qualifications Authority, is a prerequisite to raising participation rates and the quality of students undertaking training in agriculture and horticulture.

One of the main problems facing agriculture up to 2010 and beyond is the decline in the number of young people entering the industry. When taken together with the greater availability of off-farm jobs and more places in third level colleges, a continuing reduction must be expected in the number seeking agricultural training.

Further to this, there is a decline in the level of secondary education achieved by those entering agriculture. While currently about 80% of all school leavers have completed the Leaving Certificate, only about 70% of those entering Teagasc courses in agriculture have done so. Up to 15% of entrants to Teagasc courses have low levels of functional literacy and numeracy.

In the coming years, while the number of commercial farmers is expected to fall, there will be an increase in the average size of their farms and in the level of technology and skills required to operate them. It is therefore vital for the future competitiveness of the agricultural industry that an appropriate proportion of the more able school leavers pursue training and employment in the sector. A number of these students will wish to progress to national qualifications at diploma or degree level. In order to achieve this Teagasc courses must, as indicated above, be incorporated in the CAO/CAS application system and validated by the proposed National Qualifications Authority.

Advanced Training Programme

• To update the business knowledge and skills of practising farmers and horticulturists, specialised Advanced Courses of 120 hours duration are being progressively introduced. The courses include modules on the implementation of codes of practice/farm protocols in relation to food safety and quality, environmental protection and animal welfare.

Training for Rural Women

• In addition to recruiting more young women into Diploma and Certificate Programmes, an extended range of short courses is being provided for women in farming. Topics will include accounts, taxation, EU schemes and payments, agricultural policy and socio-economic issues.

Research Resources Required: Staff and Capital

The maintenance of the research base is critical as the agriculture and food industries seek to adjust to the more stringent economic and political climate that must now be expected. Without such a science base the economic opportunities that will come Ireland’s way are unlikely to be realised.

In the future markets there will be an even greater requirement for technological inputs than in the past. The assurance of safe food, the production of a multitude of niche products with limited shelf life and limited life cycles, will require significantly higher scientific input than for the production of commodities.
The Irish economy in general and agricultural producers and consumers specifically, have benefited greatly from investing in research, advisory and training services. This is reflected in the high rates of return on investment. International studies have shown that the past public investment in agricultural research has resulted in large economic benefits of at least 35%. Studies have shown that the internal rate of return to State investment in agricultural research in Ireland is 26% and the computed benefit/cost ratio indicates that every £IR invested agricultural research in this country returns between £4.6 and £2.2 to society.

An OECD Review (1987) pointed out that the systematic approach developed mainly in the 1950s and 1960s to the provision of integrated training, advisory and research services “has permitted the Irish agricultural sector, (and particularly the dairy sub-sector) to improve considerably its production and to be internationally competitive.....”

A recent study commissioned by Teagasc indicated internal rates of return to the Irish economy of 9.23% on the potato breeding programme during the period 1962 to 1998, and 48% on the milking machine research programme from 1975 to 1998. The internal rate of return on agricultural training was calculated at 9%, and a high benefit-to-cost ratio was also found for the advisory programmes.

1. New Blood Programme (Research)

In 1994/95 Teagasc made proposals for a New Blood programme involving the recruitment of an additional one hundred staff in the research service. The age structure in the research service at that time was seriously unbalanced because of the recruitment by AFT of large numbers of staff in its earlier years, and it had not been possible for some years to recruit new staff to meet the changing technological requirements.

Since then, progress has been made. Approval was given for six permanent posts, and for approximately fifty contract appointments. These were used to staff programmes funded under EU Structural Funds, expiring at the end of 1999. Ten other contract posts were also approved to staff specific new programmes. The approval of an establishment figure, within which Teagasc is authorised to fill vacancies, was another very important step. Some permanent posts were filled through natural vacancies occurring, and through the “one-in-three” provision of the VER scheme in 1997.

These initiatives enabled Teagasc to make real progress in a number of research areas since 1994. The presence of significant numbers of young research staff, especially in the two Food Centres, has revitalised the programmes and has demonstrated the value of the output from well-focused and properly staff research programmes.

The priorities now are to ensure

(a) that the progress made is not lost, as would be the case if approval for the contract posts is not extended beyond 1999. We currently have approximately sixty contract research posts which are due to terminate at the end of 1999 or early in the following year.

(b) that further progress should be made with this process of renewal, by providing for additional recruitment of sixteen researchers to staff expanded programmes in Biotechnology and in the environment area.

2. Finances

The EU Structural Funds support for food and production research is currently approximately £7m. p.a. If £4m. p.a. is provided for the food research programme in the next Structural Funds trances, that programme can be continued at its existing level. Such funding will not be available for the agricultural/rural development research programme and therefore these can be continued at their present level only if extra State funding of £3m. p.a. is provided. The bulk of this would be used to finance the existing contract posts in the production research programme. In addition, we would need a further £0.6m p.a. to cover the cost of the extra sixteen staff in Biotechnology and the environment programme.

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