New Appointment to Teagasc Authority
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. has announced the appointment of Louise Byrne to the Teagasc Authority.
Louise Byrne is the Deputy Chief Inspector in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Food and Feed Safety, Crop Policy and Plant Health and is the current Chief Plant Health Officer for Ireland. She replaces Eilís O Connell as the Department representative on the Teagasc Authority.
Louise Byrne has worked for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine since 1998 primarily in areas relating to animal breeding and official controls along the agri food and feed chain.
She was previously Head of the Brexit and International Trade Division in the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for Brexit and International Trade matters, including coordinating all aspects of the Department’s response to the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
A native of county Cavan and now living in county Meath, Louise Byrne holds a Degree in Agricultural Science, specialising in Animal Science from University College Dublin. She went on to qualify with a Masters in Agricultural Science from UCD under the supervision of Dr Frank O’Mara, current Director of Teagasc. Her Masters on ‘Protein and energy availability from grass and grass/clover swards during the growing season’ was researched at Teagasc, Grange. Louise also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law.
Speaking at a meeting of the Teagasc Authority in Oak Park today, Wednesday, 1 March, Liam Herlihy, Chairman of Teagasc, welcomed Louise to the Authority saying; “Louise brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Authority which will be crucial to informing our decisions in the years ahead. I look forward to working with Louise over the coming years.”
Liam Herlihy thanked Eilís O Connell, on behalf of the Authority, management and staff for her contribution to Teagasc while a member of the Authority over the last five years, and wished her well for the future.