Under the Decentralisation Programme in the region of 100 Department of Agriculture and Food employees will be re-located to Macroom, from the State - owned 10 acre site at Model Farm Road, Cork and a number of offices in Cork City and County.

None of the sites / buildings offered to the Office of Public Works (OPW) on foot of the initial advertisement proved suitable for the laboratory, and a further advertisement was issued in October 2006 seeking a site capable of meeting the Department’s needs.

Two options were shortlisted from 12 responses received, and detailed assessments and evaluations were carried out by the OPW on both options.

This included consultation with Cork County Council and the Department of Agriculture and Foods.

A final decision was reached by OPW in October 2007 and an offer of purchase was issued to one of the shortlisted landowners. This offer to purchase a 5-acre site in Macroom to facilitate the Department’s needs has recently been accepted, enabling the next phase of the project to commence.

The Minister for Urban Renewal and Developing Areas Batt O’ Keeffe TD has welcomed this latest development.  “I am delighted that a suitable site has been acquired for the Department of Agriculture and Food and I would like to stress that the Government Departments and Cork County Council should be highly commended for their committed and co-ordinated approach in acquiring such a site in Macroom” He concluded, “The relocation of the laboratory and offices to Macroom is terrific news for the area and will provide a major boost to the local economy and wider North-West Cork region”.

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