An all-Island food integrity initiative (FOOD-I) was jointly launched on Tuesday by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and his Northern Ireland counterpart Edwin Poots.

The new network is envisaged to consolidate food systems expertise on the island of Ireland and will bring together key academic, industry and government stakeholders to help make shared island food systems secure and sustainable.

FOOD-I is co-ordinated under a partnership between University College Dublin (UCD), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), University College Cork (UCC), Teagasc, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) and Ulster University (UU).

The initiative was launched in Dublin during what both ministers described as a time of turmoil due to the war and its impact in Ukraine.

Map

An all-Island agri-food research ecosystem mapping report was also launched as part of the co-operation between the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The report maps the agri-food research ecosystem across the entire island for publicly funded research awarded between 2015 and 2020.

The map highlighted that agri food is the largest indigenous industry on the island of Ireland, but, year on year, public investment in agri-food research has declined annually since 2015, falling by 44% in 2019 across the island.

The report recommended continuous public investment in agri-food research in all-island partnerships across the food system to ensure the sustainability of the region.

Unique opportunity

Speaking at the launch, Minister McConalogue said the FOOD-I initiative “provides the unique opportunity to bring stakeholders from all over the island of Ireland together to support innovation and research capability and capacity, in order to implement change in the sustainability, security and integrity of our food systems”.

He said: “Both FOOD-I and Food Vision 2030 recognise the benefits and need for a collaborative food systems approach, encompassing economic, environmental and social sustainability.”

Science and innovation are key enablers of long-term economic productivity

Northern Ireland’s minister of agriculture Edwin Poots highlighted the role of science and technology in securing all-island food system security and sustainability.

“I fully recognise that science and innovation are key enablers of long-term economic productivity and growth and are also vital in underpinning environmental sustainability.

"I am confident that the science delivered by FOOD-I will rise to meet these challenges and create new opportunities for the agri-food sector,” he said.

Unprecedented challenges

FOOD-I co-chair Professor Fiona Doohan said Ireland faces “unprecedented challenges” to ensure the integrity and security of its food supply.

“By working together, harnessing the world-class research skills and resources across the whole island, we can lead the world in providing innovative solutions to ensure the sustainability of agri-food systems.”

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