Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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458. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to amend and update the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988 to ensure that Teagasc has the necessary expertise and mandate to consider mitigation strategies from the agriculture and food sectors here in view of the recent UN IPCC special report on land and climate change 2019. [43416/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Teagasc's mission is to support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and the broader bioeconomy that will underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability. Its functions as set down in s. 4 of the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act, 1988 in relation to the provision of educational, training and advisory services in agriculture, the provision of scientific and practical information relating to agriculture and undertaking agricultural research and development. Section 4 (4) of the 1988 Act grants Teagasc all such additional powers ‘as are necessary or expedient for the purposes of its functions’.

I am satisfied therefore that the powers conferred on Teagasc by the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act, 1988 are sufficiently broad to enable them to respond to the challenges posed by climate change in the agriculture and food sectors.  Accordingly, I have no plans to amend the 1988 Act.