By Joe Dermody
Teagasc has appointed researcher Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, as head of the Pig Development Department and Ciaran Carroll as head of knowledge transfer in the same department.
The appointments are part of Teagasc’s restructuring of the department to better face the challenges ahead for the pigmeat sector over the next five years.
One key goal under the 2016-2020 strategy entails a 6% reduction in feed costs per kg dead weight.
Edgar Garcia Manzanilla said: “The Pig Development Department has made very significant progress in the last five years with Ciaran Carroll as head of both research and knowledge transfer and education.
"The research programme has doubled, our field research has multiplied and we now have a state-of-the-art pig research facility in Moorepark, Fermoy.
“In KT and education, we have a wider range of courses for people that seek a career in pig production.
"We offer more services to farmers and our information dissemination activities include newsletters, a presence in social media, several yearly events and attendance at different international groups.
Mr Manzanilla said the National Pig Herd Report notes that these activities have already boosted the performance of the pig sector.
The new department structure will continue the trajectory of progress and will allow the development of new research areas and new services in a more efficient manner, he said.
Mr Manzanilla qualified as a vet and obtained his PhD in Animal and Food Science at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain.
He received a professional Masters in veterinary preventive medicine in University of California, Davis in 2009 and he obtained a diploma from the European College of Porcine Health Management in 2010.
From Barcelona, he started his career as technical director at the Monogastric Animal Nutrition Service in 2005.
He joined University of California, Davis, as a researcher in pig and poultry nutrition for three years.
He returned to Barcelona in 2010 and joined Teagasc in 2014.
