From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Ossian Smyth, and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, have today announced a consultation on Ireland’s draft National Bioeconomy Action Plan 2023-2025.
The bioeconomy covers all sectors and systems that rely on biological resources, such as animals, plants, micro-organisms and derived biomass, including organic waste. The bioeconomy extends from farming and the agri-food businesses, marine-based industries, forestry, waste management, and energy suppliers, to pharma and bio-technology products.
The National Bioeconomy Action Plan 2023-2025 will include a list of actions and measures to further support the development of the bioeconomy in line with the National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy. This will place Ireland on the road to achieving the national vision, principles and strategic objectives for the bioeconomy.
Minister Smyth said:
"It is of the utmost importance to my department to gather the views of all stakeholders through this consultation. Bioeconomy activities across all sectors of our economy will prove to be effective tools to deliver on our climate ambition through the sustainable use of our natural resources, and will also have a key role in achieving a carbon neutral society. The upcoming Bioeconomy Action Plan will support the policy development for our bioeconomy between 2023 and 2025, building on the progress achieved since the National Bioeconomy Policy Statement in 2018."
Minister Heydon said:
"I am delighted to announce this consultation. The Programme for Government identified the bioeconomy as a key opportunity for Ireland, including our agri-food sector. The Climate Action Plan 2021 and Food Vision 2030 also set out the need for an action plan for the scaling up of the bioeconomy to realise this opportunity. I strongly encourage the Irish public to examine the draft action plan and to submit your feedback to guide us in the development of the final version."
The aim of this consultation is to gather stakeholder feedback to inform aspects of the Bioeconomy Action Plan, ensuring it is effective and achievable. Participants are invited to make submissions by email to: bioeconomy@decc.gov.ie
The consultation will remain open for 9 weeks and is available to view on the Government of Ireland website.
The closing date for submissions is 5.30pm on 27 January 2023.
The bioeconomy encompasses sectors, systems, associated services and investments to conserve, produce, regenerate, use, process, distribute or consume biological resources including ecosystem services. It allows economic and social value to be added to biological resources, providing sustainable solutions in and across all economic sectors in a sustainable, renewable, and circular way.
The bioeconomy considers our use of biological resources in a holistic way, supporting food and nutrition security, mitigating, and adapting to climate change, reducing dependence on non-renewable unsustainable resources, managing natural resources sustainably and strengthening competitiveness, creating jobs, and supporting a just transition.
As part of Project Ireland 2040, the government published the first National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy (2018). Through this statement, the government recognises that the bioeconomy is crucial for decarbonisation, sustainability and circularity, while also providing an impetus for competitiveness and rural and regional development and employment.