A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Teagasc and Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) to allow the working relationship between the two organisations to develop in certain areas of research.

“Looking ahead, the two organisations commit to working closely together on areas of common interest, including improved understanding of soil chemistry, using Tellus to better understand national soil variability and the implications for farmers to reach Food Wise 2025 expansion targets,” Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle said at the Ashtown Research Centre in Dublin on Thursday.

The two organisiations first worked together in the production of the National Soil Survey of Ireland by An Foras Talúntais in the 1980s. In more recent years, the sharing of data between Teagasc and GSI facilitated the production of a first national subsoils map, which allowed the development of the national 1:250,000-scale Soils Map of Ireland.

Director of GSI Koen Verbruggen said that further integration of data between the two organisations would facilitate further development of the Soil Information System for Ireland as well as allow further research on the effect of agriculture on water quality.

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