Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, has denied reports that it plans to close or downgrade four of the eight agricultural colleges in the State.
Following a meeting of the Teagasc board last week, there were claims in the regional media that the agricultural colleges in Clonakilty, Pallaskenry, Gurteen and Warrenstown faced possible closure or downgrading.
However, a spokesman for Teagasc yesterday denied these reports, which he said were based on a misreading of a financial review that was conducted into the education services by financial consultants.
He said that report by Farrell Grant Sparks for Teagasc management had suggested that future capital investment should primarily go to Ballyhaise, Kildalton, Mountbellew and the Botanic Garden education centres.
He said Teagasc management was in broad agreement that future capital investment would be best utilised in these four centres and took its recommendations to the Teagasc board.
"However, that does not mean we are closing down or downgrading the other centres. We will not create a two-tier system and these colleges are necessary for many reasons," he said.
"Apart from the fact that there has been an increase in the number of young people seeking agricultural places over the last year, these centres are vital for the future of our ninth college, the e-college," he said.
He said changes in the system of education to qualify young farmers for establishment grants also meant that these colleges would be necessary in future plans.
He said there had been considerable capital investment recently in two of the colleges mentioned, Clonakilty, Co Cork, and Gurteen College in Tipperary, and these were top-class facilities.
Last year, he said, Teagasc had spent €13 million of current expenditure on eduction and there are now 1,065 full- and part- time students in the system.
Overall, he said, Teagasc had spent in the region of €17 million in capital investment between 2001 and 2006 on the colleges.
He said he could not say how much the organisation would be spending in the capital investment programme in the four designated colleges.