The new three-year strategy launched by Teagasc this week, titled “innovating for impact” sets out the body’s sectoral priorities under four main headings: productivity; sustainability; attractiveness; and innovation.

The strategy said the focus on productivity is about enabling farmers and food businesses to do more with less, while achieving better returns.

It also covers diversification, which, through new land uses, new crops or value-added products, helps spread risk as well as opening new markets.

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Teagasc director professor Frank O’Mara told the Irish Farmers Journal that “it is not a production target, as in straight forward volume, but Ireland has to be proud of the number of people that we feed and it has to be an ambition to protect that, or even enhance it.

“Productivity is about efficiency as well, it’s about getting more out of a certain amount of inputs.”

He emphasised that productivity is critical as “it is ultimately what drives profitability”.

The strategy report says that reducing climate impacts and adapting systems to climate change is vital for the long-term viability of the Irish agri-food sector.

Among the initiatives under the sustainability target is one to develop robust scientific models and support tools to enable the implementation of carbon farming and nature-based payment schemes.

The attractiveness priority is all about getting the next generation into the industry. Teagasc said that it will work with others to attract people to employment and livelihoods in the sector and will broaden its support to young, female, and part-time farmers.

Speaking at the launch of the strategy, Teagasc chair Liam Herlihy said that farm incomes need to be competitive when compared to the other income opportunities available for young people.

O’Mara conceded that the authority’s tight budget for 2026, as revealed last week by the Irish Farmers Journal, means that Teagasc will have to look at all its activities “and see if they represent priorities and value for money.

“We want to drive on with this strategy, so that will involve prioritising.

“For us, our most valuable and expensive resource is staff, so what we have staff doing is critical.”