A new all-island conference on sustainability in agriculture has launched its inaugural event in Portlaoise, Co. Laois today (Tuesday, May 26).

The event is titled 'Agriculture and Land Use in Ireland: Pathways to a Sustainable Future'.

The two-day conference is jointly sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

It is planned to make the event a biennial one, featuring researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers.

Teagasc led the organising of the event, with a range of other research bodies and higher education institutions in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland taking part.

Conference line-up

Over the two days, the event will see several speakers give presentations on key overarching issues on agriculture and the environment, along with 'parallel sessions' in which researchers deliver presentations on more specific topics.

In all, there will be some 120 contributions over the course of today and tomorrow (Wednesday, May 28).

The parallel sessions will cover topics including greenhouse gas mitigation; behavioural change in farming; climate adaptation in farming; water quality; biodiversity; and soil health.

Across each of these subject areas, around 10 researchers will make presentations for between five and 15 minutes each.

'Central role'

The event was opened by remarks from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon (which were delivered by recorded video, as the minister is in Brussels today for a meeting of EU agriculture ministers).

Minister Heydon said: "Events like this play a vital role in bringing together our researchers, policymakers, industry representatives, advisors and others to create space for discussion, debate, collaboration and innovation.

"As many of you will be aware, Ireland has set ambitious climate targets, including legally binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transition to climate neutral economy by 2050.

"Agricultural land use will have a central role to play in achieving these targets, while continuing to produce high-quality, sustainable food," he said.

Minister Heydon said that farmers are "having to deal with the realities of climate change through more frequent extreme weather events".

"In this environment, three concepts are critical: mitigation, adaption, and resilience.

"Underpinning those is the need to be able to provide a suite of technologies and practices that farmers, foresters, and land owners can use to mitigate their impact...adapt to the changing weather conditions around us, and become more resilient," the minister added.

Also speaking at the start of today's event, Teagasc director Prof. Frank O'Mara said: "Agriculture is a very important industry in Ireland... And the role that agriculture plays in the economy, in the social fabric of the country, and in the landscape of rural areas is critical.

"We need to have a thriving agriculture in which people are attracted to and can make a living and build their careers.

"We also have to meet the environmental challenges that face us, whether that's emissions and climate change; water quality; biodiversity loss; ammonia emissions; and improving soil health," Prof. O'Mara added.