Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with special responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon has today (Tuesday, February 21) announced over €4.2 million for 19 short-term research projects.
Researchers will examine emerging policy and strategic needs of the agri-food, forest and bioeconomy sectors.
The successful projects will be carried out by 12 research performing organisations, including Teagasc, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and third level institutions around the country.
The first Policy and Strategic Studies Research Call (PSSRC) was launched by DAFM in 2022 as a means of funding evidence-based research which can be used to develop public policy.
Research
The funding from the DAFM research programme will be used to examine a wide range of topics such as climate adaptation, animal health, women in agriculture, forestry and plant health regulation and pesticides.
Projects will include assessing the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission efficiencies of Irish beef and dairy systems; examining sustainable and equitable pathways for rural women in farming and the development of bioeconomy demonstration sites in the Midlands.
Researchers will also look at how deer are impacting biodiversity and assess the impact of the sustainable use of pesticides regulatory framework.
Other projects will examine bovine tuberculosis (TB) testing and early warning models for detecting re-emergence of Binocular Vision Dysfunction (BVD).
Funding will also be used to explore non-invasive methods of surveying badger populations, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wildlife and using stakeholder insights to drive behavioural change in the pig industry.
Minister Heydon congratulated the researchers involved in the projects for securing funding following “a rigorous evaluation process”.
“It is vital that public policy in the agri-food sector is informed by scientific evidence and knowledge.
“The work that will be carried out in these projects will contribute directly to the delivery of strategic research and policy actions across a range of priority areas included in the Programme for Government, Food Vision 2030, the Climate Action Plan and elsewhere.”