The threat of governmental cutbacks is being felt in every corner of the UK and Ireland, and cuts to essential scientific services both north and south have been mooted.
The rationalisation within the organisation Teagasc in the Republic has now been essentially mirrored in the north with talk of the rationalisation at AFBI.
The threat of closure to the Loughgall station in Armagh, synonymous with mushroom research and technology, and with the local apple industry, would be a real body blow to the town and to the sectors that rely on the invaluable work done at the AFBI station.
As mentioned before, cuts are all very well and good, but when they threaten to actually strip out the good that is done by knowledgeable personnel, involved in research at smaller non centralised institutes, the cuts become part of the problem, not part of any solution. Here’s hoping that the powers that be catch on before it’s too late.
