The Signpost Series Webinar - Agri-food Strategy 2030 - The Environmental Ambition

On this episode of The Signpost Series, which took place on Friday, 7th May, Mark Gibson, Teagasc ConnectEd is joined by Tom Arnold, Chair of the 2030 Agri Food Strategy Committee to discuss the 2030 Agri Food Strategy: The Environmental Ambition.

Tom's presentation was followed by a questions and answers session, facilitated by Pat Murphy, Head of Teagasc Environment KT Programme.

View presentation below

• 2030 Agri Food Strategy - The Environmental Ambition (PDF)
  Tom Arnold, Chair of the 2030 Agri Food Strategy Committee

Summary

• The 2030 Strategy will propose policies aimed at transitioning Ireland to becoming a world leader in Sustainable Food Systems (SFSs). Producing sustainable food is now just an entry point to the market: the challenge for Ireland is whether it can build a SFS which becomes a source of strategic competitive advantage in securing markets and the possibility of price premium for its products. An acid test of success will be the degree to which such a competitive advantage can be reflected back to the price received by the farmer.
• Ireland is the only country that has developed its current national agri food strategy using a ‘food systems’ approach. There is considerable international interest in the Irish process and the outcome of the Strategy and this can be used to attain a leadership role at the Food Systems Summit in September and the Nutrition for Growth Summit in December.
• While the 2030 Strategy takes a realistic view of the decade ahead, its overall approach is positive and will highlight significant opportunities for Ireland. In working towards becoming an international leader in SFSs, it will do so in the belief that economic and political benefits can be achieved which can reach down to farm level.
• Establishing a leadership position in SFSs will open the door to the next stage in transformation and value addition in the sector. Having transitioned from being a producer of commodity products until the 1990s, to its current position of being an internationally competitive food sector, Ireland can build on this during the 2020s to become a leading supplier of policy advice and services to countries on track to developing their own version of a SFS. Africa should represent a particularly buoyant market for such services.

Watch webinar recording below

Listen to The Signpost Series as a podcast episode below

Find out more about the series here: Sustainable Agriculture Webinars