The future of Ireland's uplands will be the focus of a one-day conference taking place in Co. Kerry next month.

The Uplands Symposium 2026 will hear from leading experts, researchers, and practitioners as they explore how the uplands can contribute to the delivery of ecosystem services for wider society.

The annual event, jointly organised by Teagasc and the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), will take place on Thursday, November 19 in the Great Southern Hotel, Killarney.

Attendees will hear about the work both organisations are doing in the uplands, with contributions from Prof. Frank O’Mara, director of Teagasc, and Paul McHenry, director of CAFRE.

Uplands symposium

Chief executive of the UK National Sheep Association, Phil Stocker MBE, will share lessons from Dartmoor on sustainable farming in hill and upland areas.

The second session focuses on upland science and innovation with a paper on ‘Carbon in the Uplands’, including insights from the data coming from The National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory (NASCO).

A study on precision livestock management (virtual fencing) will be presented to the event, along with an update from CAFRE’s Glenwherry Hill Farm.

Projects

After lunch, the conference will turn to local projects and initiatives in Co. Kerry.

The session will cover the MacGillycuddy Reeks Mountain Access Project, finding the right place for trees in the uplands, and Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) Cooperation measures to support biodiversity, water quality and carbon outcomes.

The final session of the day will explore the challenges and opportunities for upland farming, starting with a paper on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027.

A panel discussion will hear from organic upland beef farmers from Co. Tipperary, Joe and Eileen Condon; Dr. Eileen McCloskey, senior livestock technologist, CAFRE; John Muldowney, head of agriculture and environmental structures division, DAFM; along with Kerry upland farmers Daniel Buckley and Patrick O’Mahony.

Ivan Kelly, environment knowledge transfer specialist with Teagasc, encouraged all those with an interest in upland farming to attend.

"CAFRE and Teagasc have collaborated on this annual event over the last four years with successful editions held in Co. Mayo, Co. Louth, and last year at the Hill Farm Centre located at Glenwherry in the Antrim Hills.

"This year’s Upland Symposium in Killarney builds on that success and is an event not to be missed," he said.