A new, national survey has been launched by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) to hear directly from farmers and ensure they have a voice in “future co-operative processes”.
ICOS is the umbrella organisation for 130 co-ops, which also includes dairy processing co-ops and co-op livestock marts. It has in the region of 150,000 individual members and a workforce of more than 12,000 people.
According to John Brosnan, bioeconomy executive of ICOS, it is working hard to ensure the “sustainability of Irish agriculture now and for the future”.
ICOS survey
Brosnan said the new survey is just one element of a larger research programme into farmer attitudes and intentions on “sustainability measures and the bioeconomy” which is supported by the ICOS Golden Jubilee Trust.
“Implementing projects centred around bioeconomy principles will allow for greater value to be unlocked from the food, feed, fibres, chemicals, fuels and energy that we can derive from our land, crops and natural resources.
“What was once considered a ‘waste’ is now a valuable by-product or co-product,” Brosnan added.
The organisation believes that as farmers’ move towards new business models this can deliver a ‘win-win’ result which combines helping the climate, supporting biodiversity and improving water quality.
Brosnan said farmers can also benefit from better economic returns while ensuring the “sustainability” of their farm and agriculture in general.
The organisation is currently establishing a ‘co-operative framework’ for Irish co-operatives to “share information and best practice on sustainability and the bioeconomy”.
This follows a national ‘bioeconomy workshop’ hosted by the organisation last year which highlighted how Irish agriculture could be part of the “climate action solution”.
The results of the survey will be combined with feedback from the national bioeconomy workshop and will be used to “inform ICOS strategy into 2023 and beyond”.
ICOS is now inviting all farmers from all sectors and all farm sizes to take part in the survey online – which is confidential.
Farmers can visit the news section of the organisation’s website to take part in the survey or use this direct link: https://questionpro.eu/t/AB3uw4GZB3vYMW?custom1=2