Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to ask about climate action and related fields that are part of Teagasc's priorities for next year. Should that not be a bigger part of what the organisation does, given the emissions that agriculture produces in Ireland? It is something we must tackle. The targets that Teagasc has proposed in the past are not insurmountable and farmers can still make a good living from their land while dealing positively with climate action. That is something that Teagasc needs to concentrate on more.

Could our guests explain why hedgerows are not included when counting the carbon production of farms at the moment? Hedgerows can provide medication for farmers and that is something that should be looked at more closely.

Teagasc has consultants to help farmers on their medication and agriculture plans. There is also the Agricultural Consultants Association and I wonder what relationship has Teagasc with that organisation? Is information passed between the bodies, or how does that work? The Agricultural Consultants Association provides information for a lot of farmers across the country. How does the information flow between the organisations? Are there costs involved?