Funding of €24.2 million for agricultural research projects has been awarded today (Wednesday, December 13) to 20 different projects by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The ‘DAFM Thematic Research Call 2023’ is part of an ongoing research call, which happens every two years.
Speaking ahead of the launch today, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) with special responsibility for farm safety, Martin Heydon said that since 2010, the department has invested almost €250 million through research projects.
Applications for the funding were “very competitive”, according to the minister, with 150 in total.
The funding goes toward pioneering research in areas such as:
- Climate change;
- Water quality and biodiversity;
- Animal welfare;
- Bovine TB;
- Ash dieback;
- Organic agriculture;
- Forestry;
- Food health and nutrition;
- Food safety;
- Farmer mental health.
Almost half of the funding (€11 million) has been given to the area of climate change and reducing emissions in food production.
Minister Heydon said: “Ultimately science and innovation is the solution to all of the challenges that our farmers and food production systems face. With every decision we make, we want it to be based on science and that’s why investing in research is so important.
“What most people don’t realise is that the department of agriculture is the third biggest spending department in the state on research and innovation.”
The department also announced today, an increase in the stipend for post graduates outgoing agricultural research from €19,000-€25,000.
Research projects
One of the projects chosen, ‘GRO-FarmS’ focuses on growing resilient organic farm systems.
It aims to develop and disseminate blueprints for sustainable organic grass-based beef and sheep production systems.
Another project focuses on developing evidence-based interventions to enhance farmer mental health.
It will examine the mechanisms of change and key areas that need to be targeted, along with developing a website for resources.
A research project based on the development of next generation tools for the control and eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) is also included in the funding.
The project aims to enhance genome-enabled breeding for TB resilience.
To do this, researchers will implement high resolution genetic data, large scale functional genomic data and ancillary diagnostics data.
The research will also use artificial intelligence (AI) to pinpoint the most appropriate biomarkers to allow the researchers to outgo various tests.
The researchers will then integrate data collected this way with exisiting data, which will then allow them to reconstruct the “genetic architecture of host resilience traits” to TB.