Milltownpass Teagasc advisor meets Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Photo shows - Eilish Burke meeting the Duchess of Cambridge at Teagasc Grange yesterday.
A Teagasc advisor from Milltownpass was one of the people who met The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Teagasc Grange yesterday.
Eilish Burke and her colleague William Byrne introduced the royals to farmers, Ronan Hughes, Justin Walsh, Teleri Thomas, David Hannon, and Donal Keane – who spoke about what they are doing to farm with nature on their respective farms.
They told their stories of how they are using the best animal genetics, using grass based production systems, focused on reseeding and good paddock systems and in the case of Donal Keane how he is an Organic Demonstration farmer.
Michael Creed, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Liam Herlihy, chairman of Teagasc, welcomed the royal couple to Teagasc, where they were introduced to Professor Gerry Boyle, director of Teagasc, Cllr Wayne Harding, the cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, and Jackie Maguire, chief executive of Meath County Council.
Members of the Teagasc Authority were also present.
Paul Crosson and Edward O’Riordan, beef researchers at Teagasc Grange, showed the Duke and Duchess three cows, each with twin calves, that are part of the Derrypatrick demonstration suckler herd at the Teagasc Animal and Grassland, Research and Innovation centre in Grange.
They outlined steps taken on Irish cattle farms to ensure beef is produced in an environmentally sustainable way, and spoke about the technologies that have been developed and adopted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the herd.
The royal couple were introduced to Catherine Keena, Teagasc Countryside Management specialist, who spoke about the initiatives on this farm and on other farms around the country to promote biodiversity and develop hedgerows so they are fit for both ‘birds and bees’, providing suitable nesting sites and berries for the birds, and plenty of flowers for pollinators.
Eileen O’Reilly, the principal of the Kiltale National School, Dunsany, and 10 sixth class students were also in Grange to meet the royal couple. The pupils had completed projects on farm to fork, food production and sustainability.
Before departing, the Royal couple received a gift from Teagasc chairman, Liam Herlihy.