Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has appointed Louise Byrne to the board of the Teagasc Authority.
Byrne now replaces Eilís O'Connell as the Department of Agriculture representative on the board.
The Cavan woman is the department’s deputy chief inspector with responsibility for food and feed safety, crop policy and plant health. She is also the current chief plant health officer for Ireland.
Experience
Byrne has worked for the department since 1998 primarily in areas relating to animal breeding and official controls along the agri-food and feed chain.
She was previously head of the department’s Brexit and international trade division and was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the department’s response to the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
The new Teagasc Authority appointee now lives in Co Meath and holds a degree in agricultural science, specialising in animal science from University College Dublin (UCD).
She also undertook a masters on “protein and energy availability from grass and grass/clover swards during the growing season” through UCD with research at conducted at Teagasc, Grange.
Teagasc chair Liam Herlihy said Byrne “brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the authority which will be crucial to informing our decisions in the years ahead”.
“I look forward to working with Louise over the coming years,” he added.
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