On the 26th of October, BiOrbic joined the British Embassy in Dublin in leading the workshop on “Agricultural Innovations for people, nature and climate discussion” for the lead up to #COP26. 40 experts from across the UK and Ireland came together to discuss how agriculture can tackle climate change ahead of COP26.
The event was opened by Paul Johnson, the British Ambassador to Ireland who spoke about the importance of the agricultural sector was crucial to UK and Ireland, and “given the strong similarities in agricultural industries between [the two countries], there is great potential for bilateral cooperation.”
Other speakers included Tamara Finkelstein from DEFRA, Brendan Gleeson, Sectretary General Dept Agriculture Food and the Marine, Ian Cox from Innovate UK and BiOrbic Director Dr Kevin O’Connor.
About the event, Dr O’Connor said: “BiOrbic is delighted to be working with our colleagues from across Ireland and the UK to identify areas of common interest and collaboration opportunities in sustainable agriculture and the bioeconomy. The impacts of climate change are not confined to national borders. We face a global challenge and working in partnership is critical. The first farmers were the founders of the bioeconomy. Agriculture is a critical pillar of a biobased society. To enable sustainable agriculture to thrive, we must engage with and empower the farmer with the tools, supports and knowledge to also thrive.”
After the speeches a workshop took place, led by BiOrbic Executive Director Derek O’Brien, where the Irish and UK delegates mixed together to discuss 5 different topics; Natural Capital; Soil and Crop Health; Animal health; Agricultural emissions and carbon sequestration; Agricultural innovation/Agritech.
It was highly successful event, with each country’s delegates learning lots from each other. We look forward to more collaborative events in the future!
