Teagasc is to undertake an external peer review of clover research and advice next year, according to its director Frank O’Mara.

Speaking at the Teagasc national dairy conference in Limerick on Wednesday, O’Mara said that Teagasc has been researching clover in dairy systems for over 15 years.

“To ensure that we’re getting the most from this [research] data and that our advice is consistent with the research and to identify the areas we need to focus on in future research, we are commissioning a peer review of our clover and multi-species swards work,” he said.

O’Mara also acknowledged that some farmers expressed disappointment with grass growth response from protected urea in 2024.

Confidence

“We recognise that farmers need confidence in the products, so from next year we will regularly publish grass growth results from ongoing measurements on grass growth from protected urea at Moorepark and elsewhere.”

He also said that they plan to have a strong campaign around fertiliser spreader settings and calibration, as he says this is also an important issue in order to get good performance from any fertiliser product.

“A good-quality granule is also important for spreadability of urea products and the industry will work to ensure that the product available is of high quality,” he said.