USDA working together with Ireland and Northern Ireland on agricultural research

Three nations will work to solve global ag issues

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

The United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland will pool together physical and financial resources to maximize research efforts to help find solutions for agriculture-related issues facing the globe.

“This international partnership offers exciting opportunities to take on issues that must be addressed if we are to meet food security and safety challenges both now and in the future,” said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Ann Bartuska. “Collaboration among the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland spans many decades, and we enthusiastically welcome this new endeavor.”

There are four areas that will receive the most attention in 2016, including understanding plant associated microorganisms and plant-microbe interactions, plant-associated insects and nematodes, animal health and disease, and animal nutrition, growth and lactation.

American funding will be distributed through the USDA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, organized by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Other funding will come from the Republic of Ireland Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The U.S.-Ireland Research & Development Partnership launched in 2006 to encourage the three nations to collaborate in six areas, including agriculture. Since its inception, the partnership has used nearly $50 million to invest in 27 projects.

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