Land loan to UCC will ensure Ireland stays ahead of the field in sustainable farming, says Tánaiste

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has paid tribute to the Munster Agricultural Society for making a two-acre site available to researchers at University College Cork (UCC) to examine means of ensuring the future sustainability and competitiveness of Irish pasture-based farming.

Mr Martin said the Munster Agricultural Society and UCC had a long history of collaboration and this latest project, which will see the society loan two acres of land in Curraheen to UCC and make a philanthropic donation of €379,000 to the Cork University Foundation, builds on that relationship.

He said that the latest agreement was a recognition by both organisations of “the vital contribution played by agriculture to the region, and recognition that productive, competitive farming must be supported to prosper in harmony with nature”.

“Ireland’s sustainable agricultural practices play a pivotal role in the Irish economy. This partnership will allow Ireland to continue to lead in terms of agricultural innovation, education and research for generations to come,” said Mr Martin as he officially opened the society’s Cork Summer Show 2023.

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The Munster Agricultural Society’s loan of two acres to UCC will allow for plot-based research in soil and grassland science, while the philanthropic donation provides for the development of a farmland biodiversity education and research programme within Agricultural Science at UCC, in conjunction with the college’s Environmental Research Institute.

“This donation to the farmland biodiversity education and research programme at UCC will help provide leadership to the industry, guidance for future policy and incentive schemes, and share with the public the positive actions being taken at farm level,” said Mr Martin.

“And the two-acre site will provide valuable capacity for research to support the future sustainability and competitiveness of Irish pasture-based farming. It’s a contribution that will be pivotal to the research being undertaken by UCC’s Agricultural Science discipline led by Prof Frank Buckley.”

Robert Harkin, president of the Munster Agricultural Society, said the society was acutely aware of the challenges facing the Irish agricultural sector, and one of the society’s primary aims was to support the sustainable development of agriculture in the region.

“It is clear that our goals are very much aligned with the objectives of the Agricultural Science programme at UCC. We are delighted to support them and look forward to seeing the extensive educational and scientific outputs that will emanate from this strategic partnership.”

Prof Frank Buckley, Professor of Agricultural Science at UCC, outlined the benefits of the collaborative initiative as he thanked the society for its generous donation which would allow for the development of a much-needed farmland biodiversity programme at UCC.

“It will also allow us to strengthen the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and cutting-edge research activity that will support the future sustainability of Irish grassland agriculture,” said Prof Buckley.

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Dr Deirdre Hennessy, a lecturer in sustainable agriculture, added that “the establishment of research plots and a demo area at the site, and its close proximity to the UCC campus, will allow us to further develop our research-led practical teaching within Agricultural Science at UCC”.

“It will also act as an important focal point for us to showcase the outcomes of our research to visiting farmers, policymakers, advisers, industry personnel, students, scientists and the general public,” said Dr Hennessy, whose area of expertise is in grassland science.

Her colleague, FBD lecturer in soil science at UCC Dr William Burchill, said that research site provided by the Munster Agricultural Society was a significant addition to the development of the Agricultural Science programme at UCC.

“It will allow us to conduct research that will focus on delivering adoptable solutions to combat the key sustainability challenges of emissions, water quality and biodiversity loss while also safeguarding the economic and social sustainability of our family farms.”