The passing of Pat Gleeson on 23 May was greeted with great sadness to all of us who knew him as a friend and colleague.

He was recognised both in Ireland and internationally for his work in dairy production research and development.

Pat was born to a farming family in Co Limerick and took a degree in agricultural science at UCD and a masters degree in animal science at Cornell University in the US.

Pat was one of a small number of people who established the dairy research programme at Moorepark when An Foras Talúntais was established. He went on to become a household name for his early work in dairy cow nutrition and replacement heifer rearing.

Pat was the head of Moorepark Milk Production Research from 1986 until he was appointed programme director for the southern region on the formation of Teagasc. He was appointed programme director for agriculture research in Teagasc in 1989 with responsibility for the research programme in livestock, crops, soils and environment and rural economics. He was also a member of the leadership management team of Teagasc until his retirement in 2002.

This was a period of great change in the Irish Agri-Food industry. Pat established a strong research team whose research work has made a significant contribution to the modernisation of the agricultural sector, as well as to farm profitability.

He also led the development of many new initiatives to ensure technology was adopted rapidly on farms. The advancement of production technologies and innovations on-farm developed, and supported by Pat Gleeson and his colleagues, has made an important contribution to the development of the internationally competitive Irish agri-food industry that we have today.

Pat Gleeson has made an outstanding contribution in his capacity with An Foras Talúntais and Teagasc as well as on the many committees he served on over the years. He was president of the Irish Grassland Association in 1981/82. He was highly regarded by the industry he served and by his colleagues in Teagasc, and colleagues in the agri-food industry.

Pat Gleeson will be sadly missed by his wife Kay and children, Jane, Suzie, John, Conor and David, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies.