Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Professor Boyle to the committee today. Recognition must be given to the work of Teagasc and how it has brought information and communications technology to farmers. Its mandate has worked very well. I welcome the lifting of the moratorium on recruitment. That is long overdue. With respect, the age of advisers and that of the management structure was increasing and it is vital to bring new blood into any organisation. In terms of the salary levels available to Teagasc, is it able to attract the type of graduates it wants? Are there restrictions on salary levels? What are the guidelines, and are they creating difficulties?

I note that 12,000 farmers are involved in discussion groups. I presume up to 95% of them are dairy farmers. Significant strides could be made in the beef sector if we could get more beef farmers involved in discussion groups. I know from personal experience that talking with one's peers is probably the best way to transfer knowledge and to see the practical advice from Teagasc implemented.

Could Professor Boyle give us the exact number of full-time students in agriculture colleges? How much of a drop has there been in the past two to three years? Teagasc has not been at the forefront of the debate on climate change and the accompanying challenges, and that has been noticeable.

There was a programme on RTÉ One last night about climate change, the bio-economy and the role that agriculture must play. While climate change is a challenge, it is also an opportunity if proper research is carried out. The bio-economy research centre will be based in Lisheen, waste from food processing will be used and a bio-refinery will also be built next year. There are great opportunities for us in sustainable food production, and it would be a shame if Teagasc did not have the budget to produce serious research and advice, not least at farm level. As a committee, we visited University College Dublin and met Professor Kevin O'Connor this summer. The research is proceeding at galloping speed, and the opportunities are virtually endless. As farmers, we are behind the curve of other European farmers on climate change, but there are many income opportunities. I recently spoke with a continental farmer who said his roof with its solar panels was a source of income for him, the cows were the second tier of his income, while the third tier was the slurry that the farm produced. We have a long way to go to get onto that playing pitch, and many resources must be invested at farm level to show farmers the opportunities available.

As well as those opportunities, there are ambitious targets to meet in regard to climate change. Teagasc is without doubt one area where we are not up to speed. Whatever amount of investment the Government needs for Teagasc, a case should be made for a specialised budget on climate change. The year 2020 is coming down the tracks fast and we do not have an earthly chance of meeting the targets imposed on us by the EU. In 2030, there will be even more strenuous targets. There is a significant amount of work to be done, and Teagasc has a role to play at farm level.

I do not wish to put Professor Boyle on the spot but I mentioned to him before the meeting that there is a serious issue with the age of our farming population. The average age does not read well and it appears we are not attracting young farmers into the industry. I have always strongly advocated that the best way to get them into the industry is to ensure a viable income for them.

I apologise for being late for the private session at the beginning of the meeting, but we need to discuss the finance Bill and the ceiling it contains for the number of incentives that young farmers can receive. I would like to see research on what impact that will have, on how many young farmers exceed that ceiling of €70,000, which was included in the finance Bill this year, and on how many stamp duty exemptions or stock relief young farmers qualify for. It is particularly important in the dairy sector, where a young farmer might carry out some expansion, incurring many costs, and stock relief and stamp duty can be highly influential in making those kinds of decisions economically viable. What impact will the €70,000 limit have? Attracting young farmers is important, and I suggest the committee tries to get more information from the Department in that regard.