Teagasc – the Agriculture and Food Development Authority – is the national agency providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food industry and rural communities in Ireland. Teagasc is the Irish word for “teaching”, and our name reflects our role in providing the best possible information to these communities, based on data derived from our cutting-edge research programme. The Irish economy in general, and agricultural producers and consumers specifically, have benefited substantially from the technological development and new information derived from research carried out by Teagasc Our annual research portfolio comprises some 300 research projects, carried out by 500 scientific and technical staff at nine research centres throughout Ireland. The key objectives of the Teagasc research programme are to: • Provide a strong scientific basis for competitive and sustainable primary agricultural production. • Underpin product innovation and ensure safety and nutritional attributes of food. • Support the development and assessment of national and international policies in relation to the agri-food industry and rural communities. We collaborate extensively with our colleagues in industry and universities, both in Ireland and abroad. Our post-graduate fellowship programme, which supports more than 100 MSc and PhD students annually in our research centres, enhances this collaboration. We also participate extensively in EU Framework Programmes and we have developed bilateral agreements with research organisations in Europe, the USA and New Zealand. Further information about Teagasc can be obtained by visiting our website: www.teagasc.ie