I know I had written about this as far back as July 2016, but Professor Thia Hennessy has joined UCC.

Prof Hennessy is a well-known and highly regarded economist in the whole agri sector, having been with Teagasc for a whopping 18 years.

It was here where she became the driving force behind the National Farm Survey. This is now the benchmark for farm incomes across the different farm sectors.

I’m told that Prof Hennessy’s department “undertakes teaching and research in the subjects of food business and marketing, international development and co-operative studies”.

Brain drain

Teagasc has lost some pretty high-profile names to the private sector in recent times.

  • Prof Cathal O’Donoghue left to become the new Dean of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies with NUIG.
  • Paul Crosson left Teagasc to join Co Monaghan co-op LacPatrick as group technical support manager.
  • Tillage adviser Tim O’Donovan left last year to join Seedtech.
  • Husband and wife combo Rogier Schulte and Rachel Creamer left Teagasc last year too for a return to academia.
  • Adam Woods left Teagasc at the end of 2016 to join the Irish Farmers Journal as the suckler and beef editor.
  • Read more

    Boyle explains the Teagasc brain drain