Martin Heydon, T.D Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with special responsibility for research and innovation, has commenced a series of visits to agri-food, forestry and marine research facilities across Ireland.
The Minister intends to meet researchers and postgraduate students working on projects funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and to hear first-hand the scientific progress being made across a range of policy areas of relevance to the Department and the wider agri-food sector. The Minster will also take the opportunity of these visits to highlight findings from this DAFM funded research, particularly those which contribute to the sustainability of the sector in all its dimensions, environmentally, economically and socially, and which help to inform policy and decision making across government and industry.
Minster Heydon began by visiting the Marine Institute in Oranmore, where he was briefed by Mr. Niall McDonagh, Director of Policy, Innovation and Research Services on projects across a broad range of areas including conservation planning of coastal waters and improving the sustainability and safety of shellfish production.
The Minister continued his series of visits by meeting Teagasc at the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Athenry, Galway. There, the Minister met with researchers, staff and students examining new approaches to increasing the productivity, sustainability and competitiveness of Irish sheep production systems. He also met with Dr. Niall Farrelly, who was recently awarded over €2.2million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s 2021 Competitive Research Call to investigate adaptation, mitigation and protection strategies to increase resilience of Irish forests.
The Minister said
‘‘As Minister of State with special responsibility for research and innovation, I am delighted to avail of this opportunity to get out and see first-hand the fantastic research being conducted across the country, funded by my Department. I am particularly looking forward to meeting the researchers, students and technicians who are involved in these projects and who have undoubtedly had to deal with a range of challenges in conducting their research during the COVID pandemic”.
The Minister continued
“The Food Vision 2030 Strategy sets out a vision of making Ireland a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems and one of its four Missions is dedicated to research, innovation, technology and human capital. I want to ensure that the research my Department funds is adequately contributing to this Mission. Along with my visits to the Marine Institute and Teagasc Athenry, I am also taking the opportunity to visit University College Cork, where I will learn more about a range of food safety and food waste research projects taking place there.”
Concluding, Minister Heydon remarked
“the agri-food sector has always been to the forefront of scientific research and innovation. Given the opportunities and challenges the sector is facing over the coming decade, I believe investing in public good research will be a critical enabler to the sector exploiting those opportunities and addressing the challenges”.
