Funding

Meanwhile, AgriSearch is to seek enhanced funding levels courtesy of the levies paid by dairy, beef, and lamb farmers in Northern Ireland.

The body, which was established in 1997, plays a key role in delivering production-focussed research projects.

The organisation’s strategy manager, Jason Rankin, commented: “We are at early stage of an engagement process with the various stakeholder bodies.

"Our levy system is voluntary in nature: it is in no way statutory.”

AgriSearch total levy income currently amounts to £400,000 per annum. The objective is to secure a doubling of this figure during the period ahead.

Rankin said: “Analysis confirms that the work carried out under the aegis of the various AgriSearch projects completed over the past two decades has delivered some £70 million in terms of added value to agriculture in Northern Ireland.