Teagasc’s Horticulture Road Map 2030 identifies growth opportunities for Irish horticulture

The Teagasc Horticulture Road Map 2030 provides an overview of Ireland’s horticulture sector to 2030, outlining current performance, market outlook, sustainability priorities, and future targets

Nursery stock, ornamentals and cut foliage are among the areas with potential for expansion, as Teagasc highlights new markets, sustainable production and product development in its Horticulture Road Map 2030

Horticulture

21 October 2026

Ireland’s horticulture sector has significant potential for growth, but investment in technology, improved production systems and market development will be essential to securing its future, according to Teagasc’s Horticulture Road Map 2030.

The roadmap outlines the opportunities and challenges facing growers across the sector, from mushroom and vegetable production to soft fruit, apples, nursery stock, ornamentals and cut foliage.

It also sets out how Teagasc intends to support the industry through research, education, advisory services, and the development of more sustainable production systems.

Nursery stock and ornamentals: focus on sustainable production

For nursery stock and ornamental plant producers, developing varieties that perform well in low-input, low-energy protected environments will be a key priority.

Teagasc highlights the importance of producing high-quality plants that appeal to the market while making greater use of peat-free growing media.

This presents a challenge for growers seeking to balance production performance, plant quality and changing expectations around sustainability.

The roadmap identifies the development of suitable varieties and growing systems as important areas of focus.

Ireland’s climatic and geographical advantages could also help producers develop new market opportunities, although the roadmap does not specify particular export markets or quantify the potential value of this growth.

Cut foliage offers scope for expansion

The cut foliage sector is another area identified by Teagasc as having significant potential to expand in response to market demand.

The roadmap specifically highlights opportunities in the cut flower market, including products, such as peonies and scented stock.

For producers, identifying suitable crops and developing market opportunities will be important in translating this potential into commercial growth.

The inclusion of cut foliage alongside nursery stock and ornamentals highlights the diversity of Ireland’s non-food horticulture sector and the opportunities available beyond traditional food production.

New products and markets

The roadmap also points to opportunities in plant-based products, extracts and novel amenity products, areas where market demand is growing but has yet to be fully exploited.

Teagasc intends to support the development of new products and novel processing approaches to generate plant-based ingredients for food and non-food industries.

This could create opportunities to explore additional uses for horticultural crops and develop new value-added products.

The roadmap also identifies the need for better market data, including information on the size of individual market categories and the opportunities available to producers.

Improved data could help growers assess investment decisions and identify areas where demand offers scope for expansion.

Sustainability and growing media

Environmental performance remains an important consideration across non-food horticulture.

Teagasc highlights the need to identify renewable and circular sources of growing media, maintain healthy soils, and improve the efficient use of production inputs.

For nursery stock and ornamental producers, the development of peat-free growing systems that maintain plant quality will be particularly relevant.

More broadly, improved resource efficiency and the development of appropriate sustainability metrics will help the sector assess its environmental performance.

The roadmap also identifies biodiversity as a priority, with Teagasc supporting measures to improve the quantity and quality of nature spaces on horticultural holdings through existing sustainability initiatives.

Supporting growth towards 2030

Teagasc’s Horticulture Road Map 2030 identifies non-food horticulture as an area with potential to develop through new products, market opportunities and more sustainable production systems.

For nursery stock and ornamental growers, the focus will be on producing high-quality plants in lower-input environments and identifying new markets. Cut foliage producers, meanwhile, have opportunities to respond to demand in the cut flower market.

The broader challenge will be to turn these opportunities into commercially viable enterprises while meeting market expectations and improving resource efficiency.

With Teagasc highlighting product development, growing media and market intelligence as priorities, non-food horticulture will have an important role to play in the future development of Ireland’s horticultural industry.