Horticulture Development Unit
Welcome to the Horticultural Development Unit website. The Horticultural Development Unit (HDU) was established in 2005 as an integrated research and advisory unit. The HDU provides advice, training and research on horticultural related matters. The HDU is grouped into four enterprise teams with support from colleagues in the Teagasc colleges.
- Fruit Development Team
- Nursery Stock Development Team
- Mushroom Development Team
- Vegetable Development Team
Horticulture in Ireland
Production of fruit and vegetables is a significant entity within the overall agricultural industry, making an important economic contribution in terms of supplying the domestic market, employment and foreign trade. The horticulture and potato sectors contributed approx €360m to farm output in 2008.
| Product | 2008 €m |
|---|---|
| Mushrooms | 96.7 |
| Potatoes | 74.4 |
| Protected Crops (food and non-food) | 71.8 |
| Field vegetables | 58.8 |
| Fruit crops | 6.2 |
| Hardy nursery crops, Christmas trees, honey | 43.7 |
| Bulbs, outdoor flowers, foliage | 3.4 |
| Total | 361.1 |
| Crops / producers | 2004 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | 242 | 85 |
| Field vegetables | 238 | 190 |
| Protected crops (Fruit & Vegetable) | 160 | 126 |
| Fruit crops (Outdoor) | 104 | 72 |
Source: DAFF estimates
Media Contacts
To find the media contact for Horticulture, please visit our media contacts section.