As 2025 draws to a close, the quieter days ahead offer a welcome opportunity to pause, reflect on the year outgoing and prepare for the opportunities and challenges that await in 2026.

In many respects, 2025 brought favourable weather conditions for much of the country, supporting excellent crop and grass production. Of course, those who experienced spells of drought in the south and east, or very wet conditions during the autumn along our western shores may well have a different take.

Resilience is something farmers understand better than most. Whether that relates to weather events, market prices, regulatory changes or animal health issues such as avian influenza or bluetongue, having the capacity to anticipate, withstand and recover is of the utmost importance.

Possessing the tools, knowledge and confidence to deal with these setbacks is the foundation of being resilient and that’s why it takes a prominent position within our recently launched Statement of Strategy 2025-2028 “Innovating for Impact: Improving Competitiveness and Resilience in the Agrifood Sector”.

Another central element of our recently launched Statement of Strategy is competitiveness. Over the coming years, helping farmers and the wider agrifood sector become more competitive will be a primary focus for our dedicated team of advisors, specialists, researchers and teachers. This will involve helping farmers and the agrifood industry to be more productive and sustainable, while also making the industry more attractive to new entrants to farming. Being more innovative is the key to unlocking progress in these areas.

So, we will continue to support farmers, equipping them with the tools needed to be more productive and to drive progress on climate action, water quality improvement and biodiversity, while also supporting diversification, rural development, generational renewal and innovation through our combined research, advisory and education functions.

Akin to other industries, agriculture and food production relies on a continuous stream on young, passionate and well-educated individuals to grasp new opportunities and adopt new technologies as they come to fruition. Teagasc’s role in encouraging this has been ongoing, but it was enhanced in 2025 via Generational Renewal Week and the Transferring the Family Farm clinics; both initiatives provided valuable information to those seeking to enter farming or pass on the mantle to the next generation. Our role in this space will be further enhanced throughout 2026 and the years ahead, complemented by focused events and communications, and the further rolling out of our Advisory and Education strategies.

We do, however, face significant challenges as an industry. Input prices rose sharply in 2022, and while they have eased somewhat, they remain high – particularly relative to the value of output in some sectors, most notably tillage. We are also seeing considerable volatility in commodity markets. Dairy price swings this year have highlighted that volatility, and the pig sector has experienced it as well. At the same time, however, Irish beef producers are about to close the door on their most profitable year yet.

Looking ahead, further change is already on the horizon. The European Commission has published proposals for a new Common Agricultural Policy; the response to which has been mixed, with farmers expressing particular concern about the scale of the proposed CAP budget. Our climate obligations also remain. With the first carbon budget period ending this year, the countdown to our 2030 targets is fast approaching. Additionally, and despite Ireland having secured a continuation of its Nitrates Derogation – albeit requiring enhanced conditionality with the Habitats Directive – the importance of improving water quality remains. To facilitate this improvement, farmers will have to adapt to additional measures in the 6^th Nitrates Action Programme, including increased slurry and soiled water storage requirements on dairy farms from 1^st October 2028. Further requirements have also been signalled from 2028 for derogation farmers in a number of catchments.

Despite these and the countless other challenges, Teagasc has a central role in supporting farmers and food businesses to innovate, become more efficient and productive and use resources to their fullest potential. We very much look forward to continuing this journey with you over the course of 2026.

In the meantime, and on behalf of all my colleagues in Teagasc, I wish to thank you for your continued support throughout 2025. Wishing you and your families a healthy, safe and successful 2026.