Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
59. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the investment in research that his Department is making through Johnstown Castle, County Wexford; the way in which this work benefits farmers and agri-food business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33517/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraJohnstown castle is the centre of environmental research for Teagasc which is supported by my Department through the provision of Grant-In-Aid for Teagasc. In addition to the research investment by way of grant in Aid , my Department has invested over 4.5 million Euros in 15 agricultural research projects which are currently ongoing in Johnstown Castle, Co Wexford. These projects, which are at various stages of completion, are funded through DAFM’s Competitive Research Funding Programmes and are being conducted in collaboration with other eligible research performing organisations such as the Universities and Institutes of Technology.
These projects which Johnstown Castle are directly involved in are very much aimed at benefitting farmers and the agri-food industry through generating knowledge and technologies that facilitate improvements in sustainable agricultural production with a particular focus on greenhouse gas mitigation, farmland biodiversity and agricultural ecology, water quality and soils.
DAFM funded research at Johnstown Castle has been instrumental in supporting advancements in these key areas, leading to the development of policies and strategies to reduce GHG emissions from agricultural sources; the protection and enhancement of farmland biodiversity and ecology; the maximizing of soil management functions (e.g. food & fibre production, C-sequestration, water purification); and averting threats to soil quality; as well as furthering the scientific understanding of the hydrological and biogeochemical processes that govern the transport of pollutants to water, particularly in an Irish context.
Ultimately, scientific research at Johnstown Castle will deliver environmentally sustainable production practices which will help to maintain competitiveness while complying with environmental policy and legislation.
Building and maintaining research capacity and capability through competitive research calls, enables Research Performing Organisations to assemble the multi-disciplinary expertise needed to generate technology and appropriate solutions to tackle the climate, biodiversity and other challenges facing the agri-food and fisheries sector at this time.
As well as building up scientific and technical knowledge of relevance to the agri-food sector, projects also provide a pool of highly trained scientists to fill key positions in public and industry organisations and allow the Research Performing Organisations to build and maintain the critical mass needed to pursue non-Exchequer funding opportunities under the EU Horizon programme.
Against this background, DAFM plans to announce its revised competitive research funding programme taking account of the recommendations in the recently published Spending Review and launch a new competitive Call for Research Proposals before the end of the year. This Call will contain a theme devoted to the Environment including Water, Climate, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services and so will, once again, provide Johnstown and other eligible research performing organisations engaged in similar ‘public good’ research activities with an opportunity to compete for further investment.
