The role played by Irish agriculture in food security will headline the third session of the Agricultural Science Association’s (ASA) Conference at Cork’s Rochestown Park Hotel this Thursday, September 4.

The session, sponsored by Bank of Ireland, will be chaired by Joe Burke, Senior Manager for Beef and Livestock with Bord Bia. He will be joined by Cornelius ‘Con’ Traas, a horticulturist and Assistant Professor at the University of Limerick; Enda Buckley, Director of Sustainability of the Carbery Group; agri-influencer and dairy farmer Katie Gleeson and Michael Malone, a dairy sharefarmer based in County Roscommon.

“Tapping into a variety of perspectives is one of the enduring strengths of our annual conference,” said ASA President Susan Maher.

“From the on-farm commentary that both Katie and Michael will provide, to the data-driven, academic and commercial standpoints provided by Enda and Con, ASA members will have much to ponder and digest over the course of this session. Our panel will also focus on the importance of succession within the industry and discuss why resolving this issue is critical to delivering future global food security.”

Dairy farmer and agri-influencer Katie Gleeson (‘Katie in the Country’) is among the panellists for the third session of the ASA’s Annual Conference at the Rochestown Park Hotel.

placeholder image — Dairy farmer and agri-influencer Katie Gleeson (‘Katie in the Country’) is among the panellists for the third session of the ASA’s Annual Conference at the Rochestown Park Hotel.

Ms Maher continued: “While the 2022 Global Food Security Index ranked Ireland as the world’s second most food secure country and also saw us score highly in terms of agricultural research and development, that same report concluded that significant policy improvements are required to further enhance our standing due to persisting geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

“Over the course of the entire conference, we hope that we can achieve a consensus about how the ASA can positively influence enhanced levels of quality, reliability and sustainability in the agri-food sector.

Thursday’s conference will address a host of other industry-relevant issues including food production, food waste and the environment, scientific developments, the cost of living along with the next Common Agricultural Policy (2028-2035).

About the ASA

Founded in 1942, the ASA is Ireland’s professional body for graduates in agricultural, horticultural, forestry, environmental and food science. A voluntary organisation, the ASA has over 1600 members drawn from across the agri-food industry including government, departments, research, advisory, consultancy, education and training, agri-business, rural organisations, banking and the media.

To become a member, visit: www.asaireland.ie/become-a-member/sign-up