Environment - Research

Irish Agriculture is undergoing rapid change in response to the complex array of new and changing policies, such as the Nitrates-Directive, Water Framework Directive, National Emission Ceilings Directive, the proposed Soil Framework Directive, Kyoto protocol, Decoupling, Cross-compliance and WTO trade-liberalisation. This new international climate presents both challenges and opportunities to the agricultural industry. The main challenge for Ireland is to reconcile the imperative of farm sustainability in a free international market with the demands of minimising impacts of agriculture on the wider environment.

A comprehensive agri-environmental research programme is required to address these new challenges and opportunities to Irish agriculture. The Teagasc agri-environmental research programme at Johnstown Castle is generating a knowledge base of information, and data helping both farmers and policy makers to farm successfully within the context of environmental sustainability.

The current Teagasc agri-environmental research programme spans a wide range of research topics and disciplines.

• Soil
• Water Quality
• Biodiversity & Countryside
• Greenhouse Gas