13 November 2017
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
A newly Extended Teagasc Advisory office in Midleton, Co Cork was officially opened today, Monday, 13 November by David Stanton TD, Minister of State for Equality, Immigration and Integration.
David Stanton TD
The investment of €320,000 in the extra office accommodation was necessary in Midleton as some of the staff who had moved from Farranlea Road in Cork in 2010 were accommodated in portacabins.
The Teagasc Midleton office serves an important farming area, in dairying, drystock and tillage that now extends from Youghal to Kinsale, up to Ballinhassig and to Knockraha and Glanmire. The Teagasc activities in Midleton Office catchment area include; 18 farmer discussion groups, 11 of which are in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Knowledge Transfer Scheme. There are 284 farmers in discussion groups, facilitated from this office with around 150 discussion group meetings held on farms each year. In addition 6 farm walks are organised each year, and 3 seminars, attracting a total attendance at these events of over 2,250 farmers.
Speaking at the opening, Teagasc Director, Professor Gerry Boyle said; “The local network of Teagasc advisory offices and education centres around the country provide critically important infrastructure from which the organisation delivers its effective knowledge transfer programmes in advisory and education.”
The regional manager of Teagasc Advisory in Cork East, Ger MacMahon said; “We have over 950 farmer clients serviced from this office, half of which are dairy farmers and a quarter each of drystock and tillage enterprises. In addition 90 students are currently enrolled for Distance Education courses. I am very pleased with this excellent facility for staff and for over 1,800 consultations that take place in the Midleton office each year.”