Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have launched Catchment Science 2023, a conference on water quality taking place later this year.

This year’s event is the fourth conference to be hosted by the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP), a research project into the agricultural effect on water catchment areas.

The programme has been running since 2008. It is funded by the department and run by Teagasc.

The conference will be held from November 7-9, this year, at the Clayton Whites Hotel in Wexford town, with attendees drawn from scientists, regulators, and practitioners engaged with water quality and gaseous emissions in agricultural river catchments.

The event will consist of scientific presentations, panel discussions with farmer and stakeholder contributions, and field visits, according to Teagasc.

Some of themes that will be discussed at the conference are:

  • Soil fertility, nutrient and carbon management;
  • Gaseous emissions and carbon sequestration;
  • Land to water contaminant loss;
  • Long-term, in-situ monitoring and catchment modelling of water quality and greenhouse gases (GHGs);
  • Climate induced changes;
  • Running a ‘living lab’ in agricultural settings;
  • Impacts of hydro morphology and contaminant stressors;
  • Approaches for mitigation strategies;
  • Attitudes, perceptions and impacts of policy change;
  • Knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement;
  • Governance and policy implementation.

Commenting on the conference, Per-Erik Mellander, the senior catchment researcher for Teagasc, said: “I am very excited to take part in the organisation of this conference for the fourth time. It is very inspiring to bring scientists, regulators, and practitioners together in this unique event.”

Ted Massey, the senior inspector at the department’s Nitrates and Biodiversity Division, said: “The department is delighted to be able to support Teagasc in hosting what will be very relevant and timely conference.”

The launch of the event today is part of Agricultural Catchments Week 2023, which is running from May 5-12.

The ACP is running a dedicated week of activities showcasing its research and advisory programme.

These activities include a mix of in-person events, podcasts, and an in-person public open day on Friday (May 12) at the water monitoring outlet in the Timoleague catchment located in Co. Cork.