An international conference focused on the sustainability challenges facing the livestock sector is taking place in Dublin this week.
The 12th multi-stakeholder meeting of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) began this morning (Monday, October 3) at the Castleknock Hotel.
GASL has over 120 member organisations which aim to represent the entire spectrum of the livestock sector.
The hybrid event, running until Friday (October 7), will see delegates from around the world discuss the priority actions which will contribute to sustainable food systems and achieving the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals.
The conference is focusing today on food system challenges which the livestock sector must address through various actions and commitments.
Day two will bring together regional perspectives on those challenges and examine how different countries are responding to the specific issues they face.
On Wednesday (October 5), delegates will visit Teagasc’s animal and grassland research centre in Grange, Co. Meath, a commercial dairy farm, and the Devenish lands at Dowth research farm.
A policy forum will take place on Thursday (October 6) to consider research, policy choices and priorities for food systems and the implications for the livestock sector.
The final day will see the group make a commitment to sustainability actions.
The conference will hear from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN; Teagasc; Bord Bia; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM); the National Dairy Council (NDC); along with speakers from across the world.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue is due to address delegates tomorrow (October 4).
According to GASL, consumption of food from livestock is projected to increase by 70% in the decades up to 2050.
The demand will be driven by rising affluence, urbanisation and an increasing global population.
As a result, the group believes that livestock sector policies and investments need to address the diversity of systems and the demands placed on the sector by the public.
GASL is funded by the DAFM; the National Livestock Confederation of France; the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; the Global Dairy Platform; the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.