Ireland
February 19, 2008Today,
Tuesday, 19 February 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of the
enactment of the legislation providing for the establishment of
An Foras Talúntais, the Agriculture Research Institute which now
forms part of Teagasc. A
series of nationwide events are planned throughout the year to
celebrate the achievements in agriculture and food research over
the last 50 years.
The establishment and development of AFT under the visionary
leadership of the late Dr Tom Walsh coincided with a period of
revolutionary thinking in national economic policy. Whitaker’s
‘Economic Development’ and the highly innovatory ‘First
Programme for Economic Expansion’, both published in 1958,
prioritised productive investment in agricultural development.
Speaking in Oak Park, Carlow today, Professor Gerry Boyle,
Director of Teagasc said: ”The research carried out, first by
AFT, and more recently by Teagasc, has provided a firm
scientific foundation for modern agriculture and the dynamic
food industry we have in Ireland today. A great deal has been
achieved over the last 50 years and this is in no small part due
to the high quality people recruited into the organisation and
who have worked tirelessly for the benefit of Irish
agriculture.”
“Major milestones have been achieved in agriculture research in
the past and Teagasc continues to provide the technological base
enabling the industry to adapt to ongoing changes in policy.
Professor Boyle continued: “Irish producers and processors must
confront ever greater challenges in the global marketplace and
the existence of a strong research function fully integrated
with advisory and training services is an essential component of
that future”.
Fifty years ago at the time of AFT’s establishment, over 60 per
cent of the total national exports were from agriculture and
production was relatively static for a considerable period. AFT
put in place a national programme of agriculture research to
underpin the dramatic developments in Irish agriculture, and
enabled it to benefit from access to new markets.
AFT initially set out to help farmers increase productivity and
income, broadening its research activities over the years as the
policy environment, market conditions and latterly growing
consumer demands set new priorities for research. Representative
advisory committees were put in place from the start to ensure
that the research programmes would focus on the real problems of
the industry. A productive two-way flow of information was
established, bringing first-hand knowledge of problems requiring
research to AFT. This speeded up the transmission and adoption
of research results and this two-way flow was consolidated with
the merger of AFT and ACOT to form Teagasc in 1988.
The importance of developing a comprehensive science base and
scientific skills were critically important and particular
emphasis was put on recruiting high quality scientific and
technical staff and developing national and international
scientific linkages.
Some research highlights of the last 50 years
- Tillage
research at the Crops Research Centre Oak Park, led to
productivity gains through the application of technology,
tripling yields over a twenty-year period, and dramatically
improving the quality of malting barley.
- The
successful potato breeding programme delivered new
varieties such as Rooster, which is now the dominant variety
in the Irish market.
- Dairy research at
Moorepark on milking techniques and machines led to
significant improvements in milk quality at farm level. The
ongoing development of grass-based dairy systems has led to
substantial productivity gains and given Ireland a
comparative advantage in milk production.
- Revolutionary developments
in grass preservation, pioneered at the Beef Research Centre
Grange in the 1970s, facilitated the rapid expansion in
livestock numbers on Irish farms. Research on animal
breeding led to improvements in the quality of the national
suckler cow herd.
- The sheep breeding
programme based at the research centre in Athenry developed
a new highly prolific Belclare breed of sheep.
- The current knowledge and
understanding of the soils of Ireland was pioneered at the
research centre in Johnstown Castle.
- In the horticulture sector
new mushroom growing techniques, developed by Teagasc, led
to the creation of a new industry in rural Ireland to
support farm families and rural dwellers in the harsh
economic climate of the 1980s.
- Economic measurements
through the annual National Farm Income Survey has provided
the economic data on farm incomes upon which successive
Irish governments have based their policy decisions over the
past 50 years. Links with the international FAPRI
organisation led to the development of an economic model
that is used by Irish and international policy makers.
- Food research at the
Moorepark and Ashtown facilities has helped the industry
address issues of quality and safety in relation to cheese,
milk powders, and meat, while providing primary research to
support the development of new initiatives such as
spreadable butter, Leerdammer cheese, and most recently with
the emergence of new functional foods products. The food
centres have played a successful supporting role for small
embryonic Irish food companies.
|
|
