Additional Teagasc advisers are being appointed in Co Leitrim, the Minister for Agriculture promised in the Dáil yesterday, as stand-off protests outside the organisation's farm in Ballinamore continued for the fourth day.
Mr Walsh said that Teagasc, which provides a research and advisory service to the agriculture industry, must modernise that service regularly.
In defence of the organisation's decision to close and remove the cattle housed there, the Minister pointed out that Ballinamore was a "field station" employing three or four people who looked after 30 cows. "That field station has not published a research paper for many years," he insisted.
On Wednesday gardaí took the names of 70 of about 150 people blockading the farm and preventing the removal of the farm's cattle.
"It is being streamlined but the good news for Co Leitrim is that additional advisers are being appointed in Mohill, Manorhamilton and Carrick-on-Shannon to provide a top-of-the-range service to the farming and agricultural community in Co Leitrim."
He was responding to the Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenn,y who called on the Minister as a "big man" to go down to Co Leitrim "and sort it out". Mr Kenny said the closure was counter to the programme for Government in which Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats had said they would make all these facilities available and provide a first-class service to the farming community.
The Minister said the staff in the Ballinamore station were being offered appropriate and no less favourable employment. The regular meeting of the Teagasc authority, which was held on Wednesday, had reaffirmed the decision. Its members included representatives of the farming organisations, the IFA, ICMSA and Macra na Feirme. Teagasc wanted to streamline its service and do its best for the agricultural community generally.
