Simon Coveney speaking at Grange.

The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, says that the next budget will not be an easy one.

Speaking at the opening of the new Animal Bioscience Building at the Teagasc Agricultural Research Centre in Grange, Dunsany, Mr Coveney said that the budget was going to be more difficult than last year.

The scope for finding savings is areas is getting smaller and smaller, and there will be one or two more difficult budgets before we start seeing the benefits of these changes , the minister continued.

Ireland's farmers and food industry will then be in a position to capitalise on the research provided by Teagasc at its research facilities, he added.