Teagasc Annual Report and Accounts for 2019
State Grant-in-Aid for Current Operations of €130.373 million and for Capital purposes of €5.32 million was received in 2019. Excluding the Net Deferred Funding for Pensions, Teagasc income in 2019 was €198 million, which was €3 million higher than in 2018. Compared to 2018 there was an increase of €1 million in Grant in Aid for current purposes and a decrease of €1 million in Grant in Aid for capital purposes.
Knowledge Transfer income fell by €1.05 million (4.7%), while Research income rose by €1.49 million (8.4%). In Knowledge Transfer there was a reduction in Advisory Services income of €0.57 million as a result of there being fewer schemes related advisory and training work compared to previous years. The increase in income in Research was mainly due to increased activity on externally funded research projects.
Total expenditure in 2019, excluding pensions, was €149 million, which was €3 million more than in 2018. Capital funding was allocated to projects that are currently underway including €1.02 million towards the continuation of the Johnstown Castle Development project and €1.15 million towards the National Food Innovation Hub project.
Chairman of the Teagasc Authority, Liam Herlihy and Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle pictured at the launch of the Teagasc Annual Report and Accounts for 2019 which took place on Wednesday, 21 October, 2020.
2019 Highlights
The Chairman of the Teagasc Authority, Liam Herlihy said that the highlights in 2019 included a €10 million investment in Moorepark Technology Limited (MTL) by Teagasc and industry stakeholders has provided state-of-the-art pilot plant facilities for food companies to utilise. A further €10 million investment in the National Food Innovation Hub in Teagasc Moorepark commenced in 2019 and has progressed through 2020. Both of these initiatives will assist food companies to adapt to and meet the needs of an ever-changing consumer. Together with a similar investment in the National Prepared Consumer Food Centre at Teagasc Ashtown, Teagasc is enabling the food sector to be ‘Brexit ready.’
Education and advisory services
Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle said; “Teagasc experienced an exceptional level of demand and enrolments across its key education programmes in the period 2014 to 2019. In 2019, total certifications amounted to 4,078. This increase has been driven by a surge in demand for Teagasc adult Green Cert courses from those seeking a recognised trained farmer qualification to meet young farmer focussed schemes under the national RDP programme.”
He said; “The figures for the Teagasc advisory services are also impressive. In 2019 the twelve advisory regions served nearly 42,000 farmer clients with consultations, farm visits and scheme applications. A total of 11,300 of those clients participate in enterprise-based Discussion Groups: 424 drystock, 286 in dairying, and 37 for tillage. Advisory support was also provided in farm business management, succession and inheritance, diversification. Teagasc Specialists delivered support in horticulture, forestry, pig and poultry production, equine husbandry and organic farming.”
Environment Research
The Teagasc Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (MACC) forms the basis of many of the actions in the Government’s Climate Action Plan. A total of 14 cost-beneficial, cost-neutral and cost-effective mitigation measures were identified in the Teagasc MACC to reduce agricultural emissions (methane and nitrous oxide). These measures were estimated to reduce emissions by 1.85 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalents per year between 2021 and 2030, if implemented. The largest contributors to the abatement are using protected urea, improving dairy EBI and using low emission slurry spreading.
Teagasc research has shown that the actions which improve production efficiency can also contribute to environmental progress. With a strong research base behind them, Teagasc advisors are very well positioned to assist farmers to meet the challenges ahead.
The ASSAP programme which is a collaboration between Teagasc, The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine as well as the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, together with dairy processors through Dairy Sustainability Ireland is demonstrating how advisors can influence and encourage farmers to protect the environment, particularly Ireland’s water bodies.
Dairy Growth
Thousands of farmers attended the Teagasc Dairy Open Day, Moorepark 2019, in July. As part of a comprehensive array of dairy research and advice at the event they heard how the Irish dairy industry has been transformed, with exports of Irish dairy products and ingredients increasing to over €4 billion in 2018. Milk production in Ireland increased to nearly eight billion litres in 2019. Teagasc has produced guidelines for the dairy sector, identifying key actions that need to be undertaken to reduce the industry’s environmental footprint and to ensure the highest standards in animal welfare.
The full Teagasc Annual Report 2019 & Financial Statements is available at https://www.teagasc.ie/publications/ .