A compromise solution to resolve the difference between Teagasc director Dr Jim Flanagan and the Irish Farmers' Association appeared to have been hammered out at a board meeting in Carlow last night.
The special meeting had been called to end the impasse between the IFA and Dr Flanagan over Teagasc's role in the formation of the Nitrates Directive.
Part of the compromise would appear to be the cancellation of the Teagasc national tillage conference in Carlow tomorrow, which was to have been boycotted by the IFA.
However, this could not be officially confirmed, although a statement from Teagasc is expected today.
The row over the directive led to the national council of the IFA withdrawing all co-operation with Teagasc and calling for a boycott of its events.
A key issue had been an IFA demand that it have access to the scientific information supplied to the Departments of Agriculture and Environment, information the director had said was confidential.
However, as yesterday's meeting began at 2.30pm, each member was handed a copy of this information, which the board discussed "line by line", according to one source, for four hours.
At this stage there was a short adjournment and Dr Flanagan and his staff left the meeting so other issues could be discussed between the board and the chairman Dr Tom O'Dwyer.
Earlier, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan, had asked Dr O'Dwyer to give her any additional scientific information Teagasc had on phosphate levels.
The directive comes into force on February 1st, and under it farmers will have to limit the use of fertilisers to protect water quality in the State.
However, farmers claim that commercial operators and pig and poultry farmers will not be able to survive at the rate demanded by the EU - 170/kg per hectare of nitrogen.