Professor Gerry Boyle:

There are always capacity issues in whatever agenda we have to address, but we are able to manage requests for assistance. We are in the relatively early stages of awareness of how we can help. The biggest draw on our capacity is when there is a requirement for on-the-ground technical support. While it is necessary at times, we can provide far more information that will be useful in the longer term in ways that do not impose the same capacity requirements. There is no huge additional cost to Teagasc in getting involved in supervising PhD students which is part of what we do and which can fit into our programme very well. There is also no great cost involved for Teagasc in hosting professionals and persons who want to improve their knowledge in the areas of research, extension and education. It is hugely valuable. However, we do need to identify technical experts in projects, of which there could be a huge range. That is where we typically draw on our retired colleagues. We have a huge network in that regard. It may be unusual for an organisation such as ours not to seek additional resources, but we are proceeding in an efficient way. Much of the activity is complementary to what we do.

Dr. O'Brien is an extraordinary individual who is overburdened. I am sure he would like to have a couple of assistants. We often under-appreciate the value of institutional knowledge we have built up in Ireland. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, for example, is renowned internationally for its traceability systems which are central to food quality and quality control. The transfer of that knowledge which does not cost a huge amount in the provision of additional resources can be of huge value. To give an example, we visited Vietnam which is probably the most prosperous of the Irish Aid partner countries. However, it has huge problems in the area of food quality. In my assessment, what it needs to do more than anything else is upgrade the training of university personnel.

We can do that through collaborations with our universities. There is an awful lot we can do without having to expend a huge amount of additional resources. Of course, there will be some cost, but I would not overstate that point. I might come back to the Chairman after a couple of years with a different view.