Teagasc has announced that it will construct a new sustainability research centre at its premises at Johnstown Castle in Co. Wexford.

The National Agricultural Sustainability Research and Innovation Centre (NASRIC) will cost €9 million and construction will begin immediately.

The funding will be provided in full by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The purpose of the centre, according to Teagasc, is to focus on development, testing and implementation of technologies to facilitate farmers to “combine economic and environmental sustainability”.

It is intended that NASRIC will provide “practical integrated solutions for farmers and other stakeholders to improve soil health; restore and protect biodiversity; improve water quality; reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and ammonia; and enhance soil carbon sequestration”.

Speaking at a recent visit to Johnstown Castle, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said: “I’m delighted to announce this major investment in new research facilities to explore future technical solutions to enable the sector to enhance its environmental sustainability.

“I am convinced that as we face into a decade of change for our great sector that the cornerstone of our development will be cutting edge research,” he added.

“This, in turn, will provide farmers with all the tools, analysis and information to make informed decisions for their own businesses.”

Frank O Mara, recently appointed director of Teagasc, said that the centre will “provide technical support to policy makers and the wider agri-food and land-use sectors”.

When completed, it is envisaged that the centre will accommodate 85 staff consisting of research scientists as well as technical and support staff.

The laboratories in the new centre will be fitted with various types of instrumentation across the areas of soil, crops, water and emissions.

The new facility will also cater for field research trials in the areas of dairy, beef, forestry and agro-forestry.