Press release
Minister Heydon announces Bioeconomy Ireland Week (19 - 23 October 2020)
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister of State Martin Heydon TD, today announced ‘Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2020’, which takes place between Monday 19 October to Friday 23 October. Bioeconomy Ireland Week will place a spotlight on Ireland’s bioeconomy through a series of online events and activities suited towards a diverse range of audiences (citizens, industry professionals and policymakers) from multiple leading stakeholder groups within the Irish Bioeconomy Network. The week long series of events is coordinated by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Department of Environment, Climate and Communications in collaboration with Bioeconomy leaders including BiOrbic SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre and Irish Bioeconomy Foundation.
The bioeconomy uses renewable biological resources sourced sustainably from land and sea such as crops, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, micro-organisms and animals and converts these resources and their processing by-products into value added bio-based products including proteins, feeds, fertilisers, plastics and energy. The Bioeconomy has the potential to create new sustainable opportunities for farmers and lead to the creation of high quality green jobs in rural and coastal areas.
The Minister said:
"We are living through historic times where not just on our own but the global economy has suffered in just a short few months. From this unprecedented and difficult position we have the opportunity to reformulate our economy and the bioeconomy provides opportunities to rebuild and restructure in a green sustainable and circular way for our primary producers, as well as the agri-food, marine, forestry, waste management, energy, construction, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. We must Build Back Better."
Minister Heydon along with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, also announced the launch of the National Bioeconomy Forum, which will comprise and provide a voice for a broad range of stakeholders in the bioeconomy, including industry, relevant state bodies and community groups. The goal of the Bioeconomy Forum is to promote, support and advocate for the sustainable development of the bioeconomy in Ireland.
For full list of multiple events taking place this week access to register and for more information of Bioeconomy Ireland visit the website www.irishbioeconomy.ie.
The following is a list of some of the free online events taking place during ‘Bioeconomy Ireland Week 2020’:
9.30 to 10.30am Bioeconomy Ireland Week Launch Event – Online Webinar:
Panel speakers: Martin Heydon TD Minister of State, Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine; Dr Marc Palahi Director of European Forest Institute and Prof Kevin O’Conner Director of BiOrbic SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre. Followed by Q&A with panel discussion, moderated by Helen Carroll, Presenter and Broadcaster.
9.30 to 11.30am Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBeA) Launch of INTERREG North West Europe funded Three C Project-Online Webinar
Panel speakers: Seán Finan IrBeA CEO; Tony Quinn of the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine; Stephen McCormack IrBeA Project officer; Coiln Keyses, of Ffarm Moelcyi Wales-Three C partner and Dr Robert Johnson of Arigna Biofuels. Followed by Q&A with panel discussion. Register in advance for this webinar here.
12pm to 1pm Launch of CIRCULÉIRE's "Circular Bioeconomy 2020" Report by Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR) and Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF) (invite only).
10am to 11.00am. EPA presents Green Enterprise Innovation for Circular economy-Online Webinar
Presentations on from three funded EPA projects (Symbiobeer, Hexafly & Cybercolloids) funded under the Green Enterprise Innovation for Circular economy, which have a focus on bioeconomy and food. Followed by Q&A with panel discussion. To register please email nwpp@epa.ie
10am to 10.45am Launch of Bord Iascaigh Mara (BIM) report on “Scoping a Seaweed bio-refinery Concept for Ireland” - Online Webinar
Speakers include the co-authors of the report Sarah Hotchkiss and Ross Campbell (Cybercollids). Chaired by David Milard (BIM). Followed by Q&A with panel discussion (invite only).
11am to 1.30pm Online SWGROW Workshop on “Sustainable Seaweed” organised by Údarás na Gaeltachta
Opening of the event by Máire Ní Einniú followed by a 2 hour interactive workshop from Dave Garforth of RS Standards. Register here.
12pm to 1.30pm Sustainable Farming: A Range of Perspectives-Online Webinar
Panel speakers: Jane Shackleton organic beef & sheep farmer & PhD researcher at UCD; Dale Crammond of Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine; Mr Enda Buckley Director of Sustainability at Carbery Group; Prof. Jane Stout of Trinity College Dublin; Dr Cornelia Grace of Devenish Nutrition. Followed by Q&A with panel discussion, moderated by Claire O’Connell. Register here.
There will also be daily release online of Bioeconomy Maps from Teagasc, a daily infograph/video from Irish Bioeconomy Foundation and bioeconomy projects updates funded under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme and a release of a glossary of terms from the National Rural Network. You can keep up to date by following the #irishbioeconomy on Twitter and LinkedIn.
ENDS
The National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy was published in March 2018: www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/e551fa-the-bioeconomy.
The Bioeconomy Implementation Group was established by the National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy in 2018 and is co-chaired by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The group, consisting of numerous Departments and Agencies was mandated to advance actions and challenges identified to further develop the Bioeconomy in Ireland.
Additional information on the Bioeconomy can be found Item was unpublished or removed
The BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre is a €17.8m Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded Research Centre performing fundamental and applied research in collaboration with industries. The Centre is hosted by UCD in collaboration with TCD, NUIG, UL, and Teagasc.
The Irish Bioeconomy Foundation is based in Lisheen, Co Tipperary.