The new VistaMilk SFI Research Centre was launched today (Friday, October 12) by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.
The new centre is jointly funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Consortium
The VistaMilk Centre will be hosted by Teagasc Moorepark, in partnership with a number of research performing organisations.
Multinational and SME companies in the food and ICT sectors are also part of the consortium.
At the launch of the Centre in Moorepark, Fermoy today, the minister said: “VistaMilk will be the largest agri-tech centre covering the entire dairy production chain, with exchequer funding of €26 million provided by SFI and my department, together with industry funding of €14 million.
Image source: O’Gorman Photography
“This highlights the strong and collaborative commitment to building research and innovation capability that ensures the sustainability of the agri-food sector.”
The investment is in line with the Food Wise 2025 strategy and will help to address key issues facing the dairy sector, including establishing the health and nutrition benefits of dairy products, increasing carbon efficiency, and increasing innovation as a response to the uncertainties arising from Brexit.
Comments
Prof. Mark Ferguson, director general of Science Foundation Ireland and chief scientific advisor to the Government of Ireland, said: “VistaMilk will be an agent of growth for the Irish dairy industry by being a world leader in fundamental and translational research for precision pasture-based dairying.”
Prof. Gerry Boyle, Teagasc Director said: “This centre will have the capacity to enhance sustainability across the dairy supply chain, positively impacting the environment, animal well-being and the health of consumers.
It will address the challenges right along the supply chain, from the soil through to the human gut.
Director of VistaMilk, Prof. Donagh Berry said; “To advance the state-of-the-art in Agri-Food and information sciences, VistaMilk has divided the problem domain into three main thematic areas; Soil and Pasture; Cow, and Food.
“Within each of these thematic areas, VistaMilk has several targeted projects, each of which will leverage the combined expertise of the VistaMilk partners.
“Each targeted project involves at least one industry partner, who represent the sectors dealing with grass-seed breeding; animal and human nutrition; animal health; animal breeding; dairy-food processing; data-analytics; sensor development; communications and networks; and technologies.”