Teagasc Launch Road Maps to Better Farming
8 May 2008
Sectoral Road Maps for all the main agriculture enterprises were launched by Teagasc today, Thursday, 8 May 2008. Road Maps for dairy, beef, tillage, pigs, sheep horticulture and forestry have been produced. These provide an insight into the market and policy issues facing each sector; the anticipated shape and size of each sector in 2015; steps to improve technical performance; the implications for environment and land use; and the required research and advisory actions by Teagasc.
Guidance on the levels of technical performance that can be achieved by better farming is outlined. These include indicators of both physical and financial performance. A series of actions is planned by Teagasc to research new technologies and to assist more farmers to improve the economics of their business through the adoption of the best technologies available.
Teagasc is strengthening its partnership with commercial farmers through the development of the BETTER (Business, Environment, Technology through Training, Extension and Research) Farm Programme. This model for technology uptake will be delivered on commercial farms to demonstrate the impact of new technologies and to carry out on-farm research. Details of the BETTER farm programme for beef were presented today to producers at the Teagasc beef open day in Grange, Co Meath.
Launching the Sectoral Road Maps, Teagasc director, Professor Gerry Boyle, said: “These Road Maps focus on the technical performance in each individual enterprise, highlighting the profits and income that can be achieved and that are being realised by the top producers. The Road Maps also flag the main policy issues facing the individual sectors, and the implications that changes in land use will have on the environment and on other farming enterprises. Most importantly from the organisation’s perspective, the key actions required in terms of research, and the delivery of our advisory services are spelled out. “
The Teagasc Road Map for dairying anticipates that the numbers of dairy farmers will continue to decline at the recent historical rate of three per cent per annum, but national milk production is expected to increase. The beef sector faces a serious threat from WTO and increased imports into the European market, with a subsequent impact on the number of beef cows. Most beef farmers are expected to join the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS). The area devoted to tillage and energy crops is expected to increase by 40 per cent between now and 2015. The national pig herd of 1.7 million pigs is likely to remain unchanged, but sow productivity is anticipated to increase to 24 pigs per sow per year.
The target for the sheep sector is to increase output to over 17 lambs per hectare by exploiting available genetic resources and increasing the stocking rate on farms. In the forestry sector the target is for a 30 per cent of new plantings to be broadleaf trees. With climate change a major policy issue facing society, the Teagasc Forestry Road Map supports a policy of continued afforestation to maximise carbon storage. Future potential growth in the horticulture sector has been identified and the farm gate value of horticulture output could increase by 30 per cent to €390 million by 2015.
The roadmaps for each of the sectors are available on www.teagasc.ie .
