FORTY-TWO offices are to be closed by the Department of Agriculture and staff relocated to 16 upgraded centres in a restructuring move aimed at saving €30 million and shedding 400 jobs.
Details of the closures were announced yesterday by Minster for Agriculture Brendan Smith. He said this was an important phase in the reorganisation of the department, which employs 4,000 staff in more than 200 locations. The new structure of 16 offices would provide for the co-location of staff currently based in the 28 district veterinary offices, 20 agricultural environment and structures offices and 10 forestry offices, the Minister said. The new integrated structure would lead to improved customer services and a more efficient and cost-effective service-delivery model at regional rather than county level.
“This decision, when fully implemented, will result in financial savings in my department’s running costs of some €30 million annually and the reduction of over 400 staff, to be achieved in large part over the coming 12 months,” Mr Walsh added.
He said the initiative was part of a continuous process of modernisation of the department which has been ongoing for some years.
The offices to be vacated are:Mallow, Agricultural Environment Structures; Cork City Forest Service; Skibbereen Forest Service; and Cork District Veterinary Office and two district veterinary offices in Cork city centre to be merged In Donegal, the Agricultural Environment Structures office in Letterkenny and Donegal town and the Forest Service offices in Glenties and Letterkenny will close.
In Dublin, the Tallaght District Veterinary Office and in Galway, the Loughrea, Tuam and Athenry Agricultural Environment Structures offices will also go. In Kerry, the Killarney Agricultural Environment Structures office and Castleisland Forest Services office will close, as will the Agricultural Environment office in Naas, Co Kildare.
Also closing are the Kilkenny city, Longford town, Portlaoise, Drogheda, Nenagh, Mullingar and Sligo town district veterinary offices, and the Carrick-on-Shannon, Dundalk, Ballina, Claremorris, Monaghan town, Thurles and Clonmel Agricultural Environment Structures offices.
The Birr, Cahir, and Waterford City Forest Service offices will be vacated as will the agricultural environment structures offices in Dungarvan, Athlone, Baltinglass and Wicklow town.
The 16 enhanced offices to take the transferred personnel across the state will be located in Cavan town, Cork city and Clonakilty, Raphoe and in Dockgate Building, Galway city.
Other centres will be located in Tralee, Naas, Drumshanbo, Raheen in Limerick, Castlebar, Navan and Tullamore, Co Offaly, Roscommon and Tipperary towns, Waterford city and Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
The department has 55 other locations which include its head office in Dublin and in Portlaoise, where there are laboratories and five farms with 1,000 members of staff.