Teagasc Opens €0.5 Million Extension to Tinahely Office

The opening of the new Teagasc Training Centre and extended office complex at Tinahely by Mr Dick Roche TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, yesterday Monday 22 May, now paves the way for a new phase in the development of the advisory service in County Wicklow. The centre, accommodating twelve staff, will be the lead centre for the Wicklow/Carlow, Area Management Unit

Speaking at the opening of the centre, Minister Roche complimented Teagasc on the completion of an impressive new training facility, which will be of major benefit to farmers and the rural community in the county. Agriculture has, he said, experienced huge change. “EU agricultural policy reforms, most recently the introduction of the Single Farm Payment system, environmental issues as reflected in the Nitrates Directive and the concept of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions for cross compliance, and WTO agreements have all been drivers of change in the sector.”

While 634 farmers in Wicklow participated in the REPS Scheme in 2005, Minister Roche urged more farmers to join the Scheme. He also encouraged farmers to avail of the opportunity presented by the Farm Waste Management Scheme, announced by the Government in March, to bring farmyards and facilities up to the standards required to comply with the Nitrates Directive.

John Keating, Chief Agricultural Officer, said, “The new training centre comprises a fully equipped modern training room with IT training facilities. It is a self contained unit suitable for a wide range of training, meeting and seminar uses.”

Teagasc Director, Jim Flanagan, said, “The Teagasc Authority has a policy of upgrading our network of offices and centres throughout the country, to keep them up-to-date and to meet the needs of our customers. The work completed here is a reflection of the work being undertaken by Teagasc.”

Other work undertaken included the conversion of the original training room into six new offices, a new reception area and general upgrading of the offices. Overall in excess of €0.5 million was spent by Teagasc on the renovation of the Tinahely Centre.

The new training centre will enable Teagasc Wicklow to deliver a wide range of training courses for both young and adult farmers from throughout the County. It will also enable us to provide a more specialised advisory service from Tinahely said, Mr. Keating. Our objective is to ensure that all farmers are fully supported in their farm enterprise development and training needs. To do so we need to remain effective and innovative in meeting the needs of our clients in a changing environment.

When the Teagasc Authority, decided at its meeting in March 2003 to consolidate its resources in fewer centres, the Wicklow Town Office, which had been at the heart of rural development in Wicklow since 1969, was one of the centres identified for closure. The Authority later decided to maintain a presence in Wicklow Town and this has been hugely beneficial in enabling us to retain and service our clients in East Wicklow.

A key objective of the restructured Teagasc service is to strengthen competitiveness and ensure the continuation of a viable commercial farming sector. We must position ourselves to assist farmers adopt cutting edge technology with a business perspective. The Teagasc Centre in Tinahely now provides this resource and opportunity.

For further information on all the services provided by the Teagasc Advisory and Training Centre in Tinahely please contact John Keating, Chief Agricultural Officer at 0402 37181 or 087 2621933.