Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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I take this opportunity to wish Mr. Herlihy well as chairman of Teagasc and in its ongoing work. I apologise if some of my questions repeat what others have asked.

I wish to ask specifically about climate change and Teagasc's role in that regard. Much of the research on Teagasc's website appears to be at a very early stage in terms of establishing the extent of the problems. What research does Teagasc intend to carry out on climate change mitigation measures? We all know it is vitally important that the agriculture sector participates in whatever mitigation we can put in place, and that will be even more important in the years to come. I would like to hear Mr. Herlihy's views in that regard and what he expects to happen. Perhaps I am incorrect in my view of the extent of the current research being carried out by Teagasc. I invite Mr. Herlihy to expand on that for me because it is very important.

I am interested in what Mr. Herlihy said about the capital requirements of Teagasc and how he expects them to be met. I could be wrong, but from reading between the lines he is talking about private sector involvement, which would worry me because Teagasc should have an independent role. How does he expect the issue to be addressed and does he envisage that it will be solely addressed by means of the public sector?