A campaign is underway to try to prevent the closure of the Teagasc research and advisory centre at Kinsealy in north county Dublin, which has played a key role in the development of Irish horticulture for almost half a century.

The 90-plus staff at the centre have been told it is being closed as part of a reorganisation of the state agency’s facilities, at a time of economic cutbacks. There has been a promise that there will be no forced redundancies and that the displaced staff will be offered jobs at other Teagasc centres across the Republic.

But that assurance has done nothing to assuage the shock and anger in the north county Dublin area, where horticulture and the Kinsealy centre have long been synonymous. Research at the centre is credited with laying the foundations for the success of the Republic’s mushroom industry, and field trials have also yielded important results over the years on fruit and vegetable production, on amenity crops and in disease control.

The planned closure is a major embarrassment for horticulture minister Trevor Sargent, the former Green Party leader, who represents the north county Dublin constituency. An opposition party member, Labour’s Tommy Broughan, who also represents the area, has accused him of “betraying” local growers and farmers.

“The Kinsealy centre has a key mandate to develop the long-term competitiveness of Irish horticulture and liaises closely with research staff at Dublin’s Botanic Gardens,” said Broughan. “I find the decision to close it down astonishing. The minister should explain publicly why it is being closed and say how the staff are to be deployed across the country, when many of them have homes and families in Dublin.”

In response, Sargent said the decision had been taken by the board of Teagasc, the farm research and advisory agency, and not by him. He was involved in discussions behind the scenes and was hopeful the decision could be reversed. “I’m not giving up on it,” he added.

Staff are holding protest meetings and lobbying politicians in a bid to save the centre. One member of staff said: “It’s an incredibly short-sighted decision, given Kinsealy’s research reputation and the contacts we have established with hundreds of growers and farmers. In addition, young researchers who would be attracted here will now be lost to the industry. It could be disastrous.”

A spokesman for Teagasc confirmed that a decision to close the centre had been taken, but said discussions with staff on implementing the decision “are only beginning”.

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