More than 300 delegates turned out at the Killashee House Hotel outside Naas for this year’s Agricultural Science Association (ASA) conference, which was themed From Trade Wars to Consumer Trust – the Challenge for Agri-Food.

The increasing geopolitical tensions and rising threat of protectionism in some of Ireland’s most important export markets left a lot to be discussed in terms of trade at this year’s conference. Ted McKinney, under-secretary for trade at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), delivered the keynote address, where he said the US, under President Trump, was determined to get what he deemed “free, fair and reciprocal trade”.

McKinney warned that if countries can’t come to the table to find trade resolutions with the US, the “slippery slope will continue to get even more slippery” (for full interview see p30).

Ted McKinney, under-secretary for trade at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), delivered the keynote address to this year’s ASA conference

Executive chair interview

Owen Brennan, executive chair of Devenish, was in the hot seat this year for the executive chair interview, where he addressed the issue of consumer trust in farmers. Speaking to UCD’s Karina Pierce, Brennan said agriculture is an outlier compared with other sectors when it comes to consumer trust.

“In general, consumers trust farmers much more than they trust industry,” said Brennan. He added that if the consumer believes the product they are receiving is good for them, it is a huge foundation for the development of that trust. Brennan said farmers have a great story to tell and they need to be at the forefront of telling it.

When asked about his views around health and sustainability, Brennan said: “I don’t like the word sustainability. I much prefer the word common sense. But it is not very common.” He added that the common sense view on health is that prevention is always better than cure.

However, 97% of European health expenditure is now spent on cure rather than prevention. Brennan said the food industry needs to connect the food on the table of a consumer with the farmer who is involved in producing it. He concluded that the entire industry has a role to play and that engagement needs to be stepped up on all levels.

More than 300 delegates attended the 2018 ASA conference.

Consumer trust

Also addressing the theme of consumer trust in farming was John Roche, an adviser at the Ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand.

“We have to get consumers to believe that we do have their best interest at heart, that we do have the best interest of our animals at heart, that we do have the best interest of their food safety at heart and from there if they trust us, and we can maintain that trust, then I think we have consumers for life,” said Roche.

John Roche, adviser at the Ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand, speaking at ASA conference

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Roche said today’s consumer isn’t necessarily hearing or being educated on the science behind farming.

“Consumers are interested in understanding if you actually care about them. Then they trust you and they’re willing to accept the information that you have. That’s engaging with consumers today,” said Roche.

Listen to "Dealing with anti-farming propaganda" on Spreaker.

Zoe Kavanagh, chief executive of the National Dairy Council (NDC), said the Irish dairy industry was facing this exact challenge of trust with the millennial generation.

Kavanagh added that consumer trends showed a growing number of “flexitarians” rather than vegetarians. This group of consumers sought to limit rather than exclude dairy from their diet.

The New Zealand view

Ian Proudfoot, global head of agribusiness for KPMG, brought a New Zealand view on the importance of maintaining consumer trust in agriculture. Proudfoot told the ASA conference that New Zealand dairy farmers are now facing an uncertain future as their government seeks to embrace a low-carbon movement and was pursuing a different policy on agriculture than previous governments.

At the end of October last year, New Zealand’s Labour Party entered a confidence and supply agreement with the country’s Green Party. Their leader James Shaw now holds the position of climate change minister and has indicated his intent to introduce regulations on waterway pollution and emissions.

Proudfoot explained that dairy farming would be one of the areas facing major reforms and said it was likely cow numbers would be reduced in the future. While the Green party has previously stated it had no plans to cap dairy cow numbers, it has been suggested it may seek to regulate nitrate use, resulting in a reduction of cows.

Ian Proudfoot, global head of agribusiness for KPMG, speaking at the ASA conference

“New Zealand will have less cows and produce less milk in the future,” said Proudfoot. He added that parts of the government saw no need for dairy giant Fonterra and that it was unlikely another mega-dryer for milk powder would be built in the country.

Instead, he said there was likely to be a shift towards value-added products rather than commodity-based production. Proudfoot also warned the conference that the Irish dairy industry would face a similar fate to New Zealand. “Believe me, as a country [Ireland] that’s growing your dairy production you’ve got some big challenges coming in front of you. We’re living those challenges in New Zealand today,” he said.

Consumer trends

Proudfoot also addressed the shifting consumer trends he is seeing in the world. He believes animal protein sources will see increasing substitution as the world demand for protein grows.

Consumer preferences and demands are changing and agriculture would have to change accordingly, added Proudfoot. He said there was no doubt that there will be substitution in the protein category and there needed to be an acceptance there is now more than one type of food system.

“Whether it be alternative proteins or veganism, people will eat what they want to eat. For some that will mean agnostic proteins. However, there will be those that will pay a premium for traditionally, naturally produced meat,” he said.