Increases in Oireachtas grants, EU funding and revenues from trading livestock more than offset a decline in Teagasc 2025 income from operations, to allow the authority to narrow its budget deficit to €1.4m for last year.
Teagasc’s newly published 2025 accounts follow a €4.4m deficit reported for 2024 and a deficit of just below €5m for the previous year.
The authority saw a total income of €247.7m last year, up from €241.8m in 2024, while expenditure crept up by almost €8m to €247.8m.
It received grant funding of €184.3m from the Oireachtas last year, up from €179m in the previous year, and EU funds also rose €1.5m to €8.4m.
Income from operations at Teagasc came in at €41.6m in 2025, having been on the decline each year since 2022, when it peaked at just shy of €49m.
Within operations, the take from advisory fees increased from 2024, while course fee income fell.
Last year’s markets also delivered an extra €1m in income for Teagasc’s livestock sales.
Focus on wages
The pay bill has been steadily increasing at Teagasc over recent years and, last year, ended €30m higher than it had been five years ago.
Teagasc’s 2025 pay bill of €115m (up €6m on 2024) breaks down as follows: €58.6m went on research staff, €46.3m on advisory staff and €10.2m on operations personnel.
The portion of this that was spent on basic pay was €96.5m, with €1.17m going on overtime and €3m on allowances.
Some 140 Teagasc staff received overtime payments, with the most that was received by any one worker coming in at over €25,000.
The aggregate cost of employee benefits – a figure that includes pension and social welfare contributions made by Teagasc on employees' behalf – hit €156.6m, up from €154.5m in 2024.
Staff
Staffing levels increased by 13 employees across the entire organisation, with five of these new workers classed as professional, four as technical and five as clerical. There was one fewer farm worker.
Pay to Teagasc director Frank O’Mara increased by €6,000 last year to €198,000.
There were 693 staff at Teagasc whose employment costed in excess of €60,000 when salary, overtime, allowances and other payments (excluding employer’s PRSI) made to employees are considered.
The number of staff landing above this threshold five years ago was below the 500-mark, while the corresponding numbers exceeding €100,000 jumped from 79 to 133 over the same timeframe.
The breakdown of these staff by cost band is as follows:
Other costs
General operating costs increased marginally to €52.5m, and operations’ cost breakdown remained broadly in line with 2024’s figures.
Higher fuel, premises and maintenance bills offset lower outgoings to external agencies.
Total retirement benefit costs came to €46m last year, down on the €46.4m reported for 2024 and €47.1m the previous year.
Consultancy costs at Teagasc fell by €661,000 to just below €2m after the bills for legal and engineering advice decreased by a respective €115,000 and €668,000.
The accounts list €189,000 in settlements for last year, down from the €206,000 paid out the year prior.
All travel and subsistence expenditure heading showed reductions on 2024, with the €5.1m paid out on employee expenses – by far the largest sub-heading – down on the €5.2m that had been transferred to staff a year prior.
Last year also saw €13,000 shaved off the 2024 spend on client, staff and board member hospitality.
Non-compliant spending
It was reported that of the €67.4m in procurement expenditure included 274 purchases that exceeded €25,000, representing a combined value of €28m.
There were two procurements said to be non-compliant with the rules and guidelines in place for public bodies, concerning €246,763 in funds.
Teagasc maintains that, notwithstanding the non-compliant nature of these two spending areas, it remains “satisfied that good value for money was achieved”.
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