The State's only training college for organic farming faces closure due to Government cutbacks.
Mellows Agricultural College in Athenry, Co Galway, may be shut down as part of a €15 million annual saving sought from Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority. Ironically, it is the sole remaining Teagasc college in the west of Ireland and the only college to have developed courses in organic production, identified as a key growth area in farming.
News of possible closure has been conveyed to the staff of 32, but no formal notice has been given in writing. The college principal, Mr Ger Shortle, said this week that a final decision would be taken by the authority next month.
Mr Pascal Gillard, certification manager with the Irish Organic Farmers' and Growers' Association (IOFGA), said closure of the college made no sense, when the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was going to direct more farmers into organic production and rural environmental protection schemes (REPS).
The college courses were proving invaluable in terms of training both Teagasc advisers and students, he said. The college farm is in the middle of its two-year conversion to full organic status.
Last year €200,000 was spent on refurbishing and modernising student accommodation at the college, while a workshop building was renovated at a cost of more than €150,000. The college's computer room was upgraded just over four years ago, and a new access road was recently constructed.
The 15 per cent cut in Teagasc's annual budget has forced the authority to look at a number of options to reduce costs, including the closure of Mellows in Athenry, the sale of its national headquarters, the closure of the Kinsealy research centre in Dublin and cuts in local advisory offices and research centres. These options are being discussed with the Department of Agriculture and Food.
Mellows College dates back to 1905 when it was built on land acquired from the Goodbody family in east Galway. The farm was originally part of a much larger estate, and the college was originally known as Athenry Agricultural Station. It specialised in short courses up to the mid-1960s, and a year-long residential course was offered when a new college building was completed in 1966.
The annual course was discontinued three years ago, but the college has a three-year advanced certificate in farm management and also specialises in short courses. However, it was due to offer the State's first vocational certificate in organic agriculture from next September, and this is already listed in the Teagasc prospectus for 2003.
All of the college's land-based enterprises on a farm of 138 hectares are being converted to organic production. The demonstration farm includes a dairy herd, a beef herd, a ewe flock, an organic poultry unit and turkey-rearing facilities.
