The farm advisory authority is facing a €15m deficit in current budget, writes Seán MacConnell, Agriculture Correspondent.
The board of Teagasc, which decided yesterday to sell off its Dublin headquarters and five other major properties, will examine the implications of closing down a number of other centres it owns across the State.
The decision to implement what it called the "first phase" of its rationalisation programme was taken yesterday against growing disquiet over the closure of eight advisory offices in provincial centres.
The threatened mass picketing of the board meeting by people from a number of areas failed to materialise but there was a token protest by Wicklow farmers led by local county councillor, Mr Sylvester Burke.
He said his protest was over the projected closure of the Wicklow advisory office which would mean a round trip of 50 miles by farmers who would have to go to the Tinahely centre.
Wicklow; Loughrea, Co Galway; Boyle, Co Roscommon; Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim; Gorey, Co Wexford; Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny; and Tullow, Co Carlow and a leased sheep research centre near Carlow town, have been targeted for closure.
The sell-off of property and closure of centres has been forced on the authority by Government cutbacks which left the agriculture and food development authority €15 million short of its financial needs this year.
A statement from the Teagasc press office after the board meeting said the authority unanimously agreed to proceed with the sale of its HQ in Dublin, its soft fruit research centre at Clonroche, Wexford; its dairy farm at Ballinamore, Co Leitrim and its property at Lullymore, Co Kildare. It added that the sale of the Teagasc advisory offices at Corduff, Co Dublin and at Cork city would also proceed.
However it continued: "While the first phase of the programme is being implemented, the authority will continue to examine the implications for Teagasc services of proceeding with other phases of the rationalisation programme.
"The authority's decisions have been taken against the background of a significant cutback in Teagasc finances. The organisation is facing a deficit of €15 million in its current budget in 2003 on a 'business as usual' basis. Funding for capital investment has also been cut, from €14.5 million in 2002 to €6 million in 2003.
"While significant curtailment is being implemented in staff recruitment and in operating costs, these measures would only go a small way towards meeting the projected deficit of €15 million.
"Therefore, the authority had no alternative but to proceed with the sale of some assets. Otherwise, a number of priority research, advisory and training programmes provided by Teagasc would come under serious threat," said the statement. The authority has requested that immediate discussions take place with staff affected by its decisions.
At the weekend, Teagasc management was severely criticised by the union representing most of its 1,600 staff, SIPTU's State Agency Branch, for failing to deliver on promised consultation and negotiation in relation to the proposed changes.
"SIPTU expects Teagasc to honour existing agreements and to agree compensation should any of our members be relocated. Teagasc and in particular our members must not be made the scapegoats for the current Government's cutbacks," said SIPTU branch secretary Mr Owen Reidy.