Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Wednesday, August 17) confirmed that he is to host a major conference on agri-food policy in Dublin.
Food Vision 2030: A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems will take place in Dublin Castle on Thursday, October 13.
“Ireland’s agri-food sector’s ambition is to be a ‘World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems’, as expressed in Food Vision 2030, a ten-year strategy developed by the sector itself and launched last year,” the minister said.
“I believe that the detailed missions set out in Food Vision have the potential to transform our agriculture, food, forestry and marine sector in the period to 2030, with sustainability in all its dimensions, environmental, economic and social, at its core,” he added.
“Ireland has a reputation for producing safe, high-quality food and drink, with record exports of over €15 billion in 2021.
“We need to safeguard that reputation by improving sustainability in all its forms, particularly for our farmers and fishers, who are the bedrock of our sector, in cooperation with agri-food businesses and rural and coastal communities,” McConalogue stated.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that further details on the conference would be confirmed at a later date.
In May, Minister McConalogue published the formal implementation plan for Food Vision 2030.
Divided into four overarching goals, the strategy focuses on environmental sustainability in the agri-food sector; viability and resilience among the country’s primary producers; safe, trusted and nutritious food that is valued worldwide; and an innovative sector driven by technology.
A seminar hosted by the department and Teagasc in June heard that research and innovation will be key to delivering the ambitions laid out in the strategy.