Professor Gerry Boyle:

Our property disposals typically involve land and when we sell land we engage professional advice to ensure we know the market value and that we get the best value for the State. The process involves various committees of the authority, which then decides whether to proceed. The key issue is to ensure appropriate value is obtained and this has to be sanctioned by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The decision to dispose of any property is not taken lightly and we always ensure any land to be sold is not a programme priority for Teagasc.