TEAGASC is the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority. It is an Irish state body that was established under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988. Its mission is to support science-based innovation in the agri-food sector and wider bioeconomy so as to underpin profitability, competitiveness and sustainability. This mandate gives TEAGASC responsibility for meeting the knowledge and technology needs of the entire food chain and the authority to integrate research, advice and education services to deliver the innovation support necessary to add value to Ireland’s agri-food sector. TEAGASC undertakes innovative activities in research, knowledge dissemination and education covering the following broad thematic areas: Animal and Grassland; Crops, Environment and Land Use; Food; Rural Economy and Development. The Knowledge Transfer directorate supports innovation by farmers in the management of their businesses and provides access to the technologies they can apply to improve their competitiveness. The Knowledge Transfer advisory programme is delivered by advisers in 12 regional advisory areas throughout Ireland. These advisors are in contact with some 80,000 farmers and rural dwellers each year, of whom approximately 45,000 avail of our intensive farm consultancy service.
TEAGASC is also a major provider of education for the land-based sector and is a significant training provider to the food sector. We also provide specialised and customised training to the agri-service sector as required. We are a registered training provider and work in partnership with many other education stakeholders, including the universities, Institutes of Technology and others, to deliver quality-driven, applied education and training programmes. The TEAGASC model of innovation support recognises the importance of integrating the critical functions of research, knowledge transfer and knowledge absorption (education) in order to ensure impact for its stakeholders. TEAGASC is unique in European terms, if not wider afield, in having these three elements embedded within a single organisation.