A five-day international conference takes place in Cork this week, which will focus on how science can offer the meat processing sector solutions to help it to develop and grow sustainably both on a local and global level.

The 63rd International Congress of Meat Science and Technology (ICoMST) will also look into important themes on meat safety, genomics and consumer trends.

The conference – which is being hosted by Teagasc in collaboration with University College Cork, and is sponsored by ABP Food Group – runs from August 13 to August 18.

The conference is being attended by 150 organisations from 65 countries.

The speaker line-up will include contributions from a range of countries – such as Ireland, Britain, China, Germany,  Australia, South Korea, Finland, Denmark, New Zealand and Norway.

There are 13 sessions planned, during which scientific, industry and policy experts will be sharing new findings, practical experiences and lessons learned in their respective fields, according to the event organisers.

Dean Holroyd, ABP Group Technical and Sustainability Director, commented on the event, saying: “The conference is an excellent opportunity for academics, researchers and industry to come together under one roof and share their perspectives on the future challenges and opportunities facing our industry.

“As a company that has a keen and active focus on innovation and in developing new and innovative products, ABP Food Group is delighted to be involved with this prestigious international event.”

Earlier this year, ABP was chosen as part of a pan-European food innovation consortium to lead groundbreaking food research, the company has announced.

The project, EIT Food, brings together 50 market leading businesses, tech innovators, research institutions and consumer organisations to investigate the key food challenges of today – from health and nutrition, to supply chain development and the creation of the circular bio-economy.