As the four matters selected for the Adjournment are related it is proposed to take them together and the Minister of State will give one reply. Twenty minutes will be allocated to the Members who submitted the matters and the Minister of State will have a maximum of 20 minutes to reply.
Adjournment Debate. - Teagasc Properties.
An Leas-Cheann Comhairle
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue and thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to, hopefully, give good answers. The Government withdrawal of support from rural Ireland is frightening – some €318 million is the figure I saw in this regard in a recent independent report. The Teagasc budget was cut by 13.5% and that is the cause of this discussion. To digress for a moment, Teagasc can only replace one person for every three that leave. Is this rule applicable to any other State or semi-State organisation?
The last Government placed a partial DVO office in County Wicklow to try to keep the wheels on. It has now removed the Teagasc office from that town, and is to sell the research farm in Ballinamore and the Teagasc office in Manorhamilton, among many others that other Members will mention.
I wish to address the situation in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan where the Government intends to close and sell the office in Bailieboro. That office, which at least 1,000 people visited in the past 12 months, has four full-time advisers and one secretary. Five discussion groups hold their meetings there and some 250 student farmers studied there for different exams – computer and agriculture courses and otherwise.
It is a unique situation. This centre is owned by Teagasc. Part of it is leased to the North-Eastern Health Board and it takes in more money than is required to run the place. The advisers are based there and can therefore cover the whole of east Cavan without having to travel major distances. They are now being asked to go to Ballyhaise, which is not owned by Teagasc. They could spend an hour on the road going from there to Kingscourt to serve an individual client and then returning home again. Is this sensible or realistic? The only office that Teagasc owns in Cavan is now being put up for sale, but to what benefit? It will give them a small capital injection this year, but at the cost of having advisers travelling long distances on the road and removing the service from the people of that area.
The farmers and people of the Bailieborough area in general are up in arms about this. I urge that this whole situation be looked at again. It is disastrous in the long-term. It offers ample proof that the Government is removing whatever service it can from farmers in the hope that the issue will eventually go away. This is no joke. On the Order of Business, I raised the issue of the €20 million that will be removed from farmers' pockets through the imposition of regulations by the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Walsh, on vaccines and so on. One could go on and on, but I urge the Minister of State to do whatever is necessary to ensure that common sense prevails and that farmers get a service.
I am glad the Minister of State is in the House and I hope that he will have some good news for us. I am told that, in real terms, the Teagasc budget has been cut by 19.5% and that there is a €15 million shortfall. The main head office in Cork is closing, leaving no advice centre in the centre of the county. The closest will be Midleton and Clonakilty. At a time when agriculture is on its knees and at a time of great change and challenge for agriculture, the farming industry does not need this. It needs the help and support of a professional advisory service. This advisory service should be supported, in turn, by the Government and should not be put in the position of having to sell land to keep going.
I urge the Minister of State to do everything in his power to reverse this decision, or at least review it, and to ensure that the advisory service has the resources it needs to continue doing the good work it has been doing. Young farmers need all the encouragement they can get now to enter farming. The training of young people for stamp duty exemption, for instance, is important, as is quality control in agriculture and food production, and Teagasc is the professional body providing that information, back-up and advice. I urge the Minister of State to reverse what is happening.
The impression exists that the Government is treating the farmers in the same way that Thatcher treated the miners, that it wants to drive the farmers into the ground and wipe out the industry totally. I hope that is wrong, but the evidence indicates that it is not. The industry is on its knees and now, when it needs support more than ever, the Government is indirectly withdrawing further support by not funding Teagasc properly. Other costs have not been factored in. The cost of relocating the professional staff in Cork, for instance, has not been factored in. There is no free space anywhere else in the county for these advisers. What will happen when the office in Cork closes? It is strategically located, close to the planning and other offices in the city, and Cork, as the Minister of State knows well, is a very important agricultural producer. Farmers now need more support than ever. I hope the Minister of State will have some good news for us.
I thank the Minister of State for being here at a time when many Ministers are not. I appeal to him to take a personal involvement and interest in this. I have spoken in adjournment debates on many occasions and I hope this is not one of those occasions when the Minister of State will simply stand up and read a standard response from the Department. I hope he will take a personal interest and listen to the concerns being expressed. This is not an issue I would event attempt to play politics with. It is a very serious issue for agriculture.
My concerns lie primarily with the situation in Cork. The only Teagasc office in Munster that is being sold is the most important one, at the heart of the flagship agricultural county of Cork. Advisers and ex-advisers have been on the phone to me today in a desperate attempt to get me to ask the Minister to reverse the decisions that have been taken by Teagasc. The office in Cork employs 14 staff and offers an advisory service to dairy farmers, cereal farmers, sugar beet and vegetable farmers. It covers a huge area in the heart of County Cork, including my own family farm. There will be a void in the middle of County Cork if this office is removed. It is arguably the most important Teagasc office in the country from an advisory point of view. That is not an exaggeration. It is certainly the largest in Cork, which is the largest county in almost every agricultural sector.
This is crazy economics from an agricultural point of view. We are shutting down and selling off a site for short-term capital gain to try to fill a deficit in 2003. What does this say about the long-term viability of farming in counties like Cork? Whatever about disadvantaged counties without fertile land, we are talking here about the prime agricultural land in the country, and this advisory centre is in the middle of it. We are shutting it down in an attempt to maximise the capital value of it.
There are also issues relating to the sale of this site that involve the Minister of State because a right of way is required from Cork County Council for access. This will severely restrict the capacity to sell this site to anybody with a commercial interest because it is right in the Middle of Cork County Council's car park for County Hall. There are real practical commercial prob lems in selling this site. The Minister of State needs to get involved, talk to Teagasc and review this situation so that we make a decision that is viable for the long-term future of agriculture.
I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for permitting me to raise the Teagasc sell-off of the research farm at Ballinamore in County Leitrim and their offices in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim. The board of Teagasc has taken decisions without having surveyed these actions and their consequences. It has sent out all the wrong signals to those involved in agriculture. Only one member of the board of Teagasc visited the Ballinamore research farm prior to this decision. That is ridiculous. If one is going to sell something and is a member of a semi-State board, one has a duty to diligently carry out one's duties. In doing so, one should look to see what to sell first. That must be considered.
Considerable investment has been made by Teagasc in the Ballinamore farm over the past two years. We know that it came under threat before, but on previous occasions Teagasc saw fit to maintain it. It gave a commitment the last time that it would increase the level of research being carried out there, and that has improved in recent times. There has been a considerable amount of investment in new farm buildings and office accommodation. Although offices have been upgraded at the Ballinamore site, Teagasc is proposing to sell it while continuing to rent offices in other parts of the county. It is false economics.
Teagasc receives an income from the tenant at its Manorhamilton office. I believe that the tenant is responsible for maintenance of the office as part of the contract. This means that Teagasc wants to sell an office that it receives for free. Does Teagasc honestly believe that there should be no office between Carrick-on-Shannon and Donegal or Sligo? It is proposed that north Leitrim will be without an office or a permanent advisor, an idea that is totally unacceptable to anybody involved in this sick situation. If we are to encourage people in disadvantaged parts of Ireland to work in the agriculture sector, it is imperative that research is conducted to help them to succeed. Farmers may be disadvantaged as a result of poor soil or a bad climate. Climatic work has been conducted in Ballinamore in recent years. For example, the effects of rain on farming have been studied. Statistics for last year showed that rainfall in the north-west was about 50% above average.
I am calling on the board of Teagasc to review the situation in County Leitrim. The decision has been taken for short-term gain, as the farm in Ballinamore has been estimated to be worth about €400,000. Such a sum is not significant when one considers that the annual cost of running a research farm is about €200,000. In the context of Teagasc's total annual expenditure, it is a false economy to sell an asset for €400,000. A proper appraisal of Teagasc's proposals, in County Leitrim and elsewhere, would give a different and clearer view of the overall situation. Different proposals would result from such an appraisal. Why does Teagasc maintain large dairy quotas, not to be run as family units or typical farms, but to be run at a scale that will never be the scale of a farmer? Teagasc's dairy research has been concentrated in the best land in the country. It has not considered those who live in less favoured areas and who need research and help.
The advisory service that will remain in County Leitrim if Teagasc follows through with its proposals will be almost non-existent. There will be a chief executive officer and two permanent advisors. It is wrong that people on contracts will be made redundant. When Teagasc becomes a commercial operation, it should decide whether those employed at present are making a financial contribution to Teagasc's income. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Aylward, to tell the board of Teagasc and its director, Mr. Flanagan, to reassess the organisation's plans. The board should outline the reasons, if any, for its proposals in relation to the research farm in Ballinamore and the offices in Manorhamilton. An overview of the service that Teagasc is providing throughout the country would also be welcome.
I want to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food to rescind the decision taken by Teagasc to close and sell its offices in Ballinamore and Manorhamilton in County Leitrim. Is it Government policy to permit Teagasc to sell off part of its property portfolio to redress the cut of about €13 million in its budget? While we may be told that the decision to sell the offices in Ballinamore and Manorhamilton was taken by Teagasc last week, the decision was taken last November, when the Minister for Finance reduced Teagasc's budget by the amount I have mentioned. The decision to sell or not to sell is a political one that can be made by the Minister for Agriculture and Food. I ask the Minister, Deputy Walsh, in the strongest possible terms, to reverse the decision taken by Teagasc to ensure that the organisation will have to go back to the drawing board to start again.
The offices in Manorhamilton were funded by EU investment just over 21 years ago, so they have not cost Teagasc any money. The organisation is in the happy position of renting a number of offices to Coillte. Although it makes money from Manorhamilton every week, month and year, Teagasc wants to sell the office and to close down the service to the farmers of north Leitrim. Having run down the service it provides, Teagasc wants to make money from a building that cost it nothing and wants to deprive the farmers of County Leitrim, which is heavily dependent on agriculture, of the advice that helps to sustain the maximum number of family farms and to maintain a viable rural economy. This disgraceful situation represents a slap in the face for those who believe that agriculture and rural development have a future in County Leitrim.
Equally, the studies that are carried out in the research centre in Ballinamore will play a large part in the future of the agriculture industry in County Leitrim. No other research centre has the same climatic and soil conditions. The research conducted in the centre applies to nine counties, including Sligo, Roscommon, Donegal and Mayo. The closure of the Teagasc facilities in County Leitrim is a further example of the withdrawal by the State of vital services from the north-west. I ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food to show faith in the farmers of County Leitrim and to bring a stop to Teagasc's plans to destroy the future of agriculture in County Leitrim.
The decision to close the purpose-built research and training facility at Ballinamore and the Teagasc office and training centre in Manorhamilton, to decimate Teagasc's advisory service and to sell all property owned by Teagasc in County Leitrim, is ludicrous in the extreme. It is economic madness to close and sell the Teagasc office in Bailieborough, County Cavan, which has five members of staff, is wholly owned by Teagasc and provides an income to Teagasc from part-letting. It is an act of treachery against the interests of the farming community. Teagasc is proposing to retain a skeleton staff in rented accommodation in Carrick-on-Shannon and Mohill on the pretext of providing a service in County Leitrim. Teagasc has also proposed the centralisation of its services in County Cavan in Ballyhaise, again in rented offices. Where is the economic sense behind the proposals to close and sell the research station in Ballinamore and the offices in Manorhamilton and Bailieborough? I feel that no economic sense is involved and that the plans represent economic madness.
My colleagues have referred to the various facilities. I wish to emphasise that the dairy research station in Ballinamore covers the drumlin counties of Cavan and Monaghan. Farmers in these counties, as well as those named by Deputy Harkin, have to contend with heavy and wet drumlin soil. This aspect of the Ballinamore research station is not replicated in any other facility. It is an absolute disgrace that the only research station that is available to help farmers in western and Border counties is being removed. I ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Walsh, to show an independent appreciation of these facilities and services. I appeal to the Minister, as well as the Minister of State, Deputy Aylward, to make a positive intervention to save services that are vital to farming communities in areas that are the least supported and worst affected by the ravages that are attacking the farming sector.
I thank Deputies Crawford, Stanton, Coveney, Ellis, Harkin and Ó Caoláin for their contributions to this Adjournment debate. The points that have been made also apply to the counties I represent, Kilkenny and Carlow. While I sympathise with the Deputies and the cases they made, particularly in respect of their constituencies, they will know that I am precluded from dealing with any day-to-day running decisions of the board of Teagasc.
Teagasc has a very important role to play in supporting the Government's strategy for the development of the agriculture and food industries and provides a range of important services. Therefore, substantial Exchequer resources are provided each year to enable it to provide first-class research, training and advisory services for farmers and the food industry.
Because of the national importance of agriculture and the food industries and the need for public investment to protect Ireland's status in these areas on the world stage and in competitive international markets, it is necessary to have an organisation like Teagasc which adds value and provides guidance to these sectors. The total funding provided by the Department of Agriculture and Food to Teagasc for non-capital purposes has increased significantly from €81 million in 1999 to €108 million this year. Given the tight budget this year, the allocation was increased from €106 million in 2002 to €108 million. This is an indication of the Government's continuing commitment to supporting Teagasc. By any standards, this is substantial funding. In addition, for the first time since Teagasc was established we have been able to provide very substantial additional funding to it for capital development purposes.
From 2000 to 2003 my Department has allocated a cumulative total of almost €35 million to enable Teagasc implement major capital development programmes at the training colleges and research centres. The resulting upgrading of the training facilities, in conjunction with the recent mainstreaming of agricultural education and the national accreditation of all Teagasc training programmes, has arrested the downward trend in enrolments and augurs well for the future. Similarly, the capital expenditure undertaken in research has greatly assisted Teagasc's efforts to develop world-class research centres and to strengthen its research capabilities generally. Despite a change in the client base of Teagasc and a decline in the numbers relying on farming for their main income, its number of professional advisory staff has been maintained and reorganised to deliver the most effective services for its clients in the changed socio-economic environment.
It is entirely a matter for Teagasc and its board to prioritise its activities in the delivery of agricultural research, training and advisory services and to allocate its resources in accordance with these priorities. I do not propose to comment on individual decisions that Teagasc may have taken or proposes to take on the arrangements for the delivery of its services at particular locations around the country. I understand only too well the local concerns that may arise. However, that is entirely a matter within the remit of the Teagasc authority and is not one in which the Minister has a function.
I am aware that Teagasc has recently decided to concentrate the delivery of its services in fewer centres. However, the Teagasc authority has also stressed that, when these decisions are implemented, it will still have a network of over 70 advisory and training centres nationwide as well as nine major research centres and 11 colleges. Therefore, the ability of Teagasc to provide its range of services will not be diminished.
I do not believe that.
Teagasc has a complement of almost 1,500 permanent staff, comprising advisers, teachers and research scientists with appropriate supporting services. These are complemented by about 250 contract staff, as well as teaching staff in the private agricultural and horticultural colleges. With proper resourcing and the adoption of modern technology and methodolog ies for information transfer, Teagasc is confident that priority research, advisory and training services for the agriculture and food industry will be secured.
Given the capital investment undertaken in recent years and the ongoing support of my Department, Teagasc is in good shape and now well positioned for the years ahead to provide the innovation and technology transfer necessary for the sustainable development of agriculture, the food industry and rural communities through its integrated research, advisory and education and training programmes. Therefore, there is strong evidence of full Government commitment to Teagasc.
In recent years, consistent and growing financial support has been provided to enable the organisation to provide a range of services on a countrywide basis and to provide the standard and range of supports which the agri-food sector requires. I have taken note of the issue raised by the Deputies, which applies as much to me as to them, and I will convey to the Minister the points they have made so forcefully.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.15 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 25 March 2000.