Brexit on the agenda at Irish seafood conference

The country’s seafood development agency, Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), is hosting the one-day event, subtitled ‘Winning in a Changing Environment’, on 29 June in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Galway.

It will be officially opened by Michael Creed, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and moderated by Gavin Duffy of RTE’s Dragon’s Den.

Jim O’Toole, BIM’s chief executive, said: “This conference will challenge our diverse industry to consider the direction of their business and the overall sector in light of current challenges. We have engaged a broad range of experts and opinion leaders to deliver invaluable insights around our core priorities of Skills, Sustainability, Innovation and Competitiveness from an Irish and international perspective. We are looking forward to a productive conference that will allow us to strengthen our collective position as we continue to adapt to changing circumstances and look to secure the long term viability of Ireland’s €1 billion seafood industry.”

The conference will start at 11am with a plenary session on innovation. Delegates will hear from Øvyind Fylling-Jensen, chief executive of Norwegian research agency Nofima, about how Norway is leading the way in seafood innovation, while Aidan McHugh, of Dublin-based consultancy Eaton Square, will demonstrate how seafood companies can make innovation work for them.

Gilles Doignon, communications officer with the European Commission (DG Mare), will demonstrate how communicating about sustainability through the Farming In The EU campaign has transformed public attitudes across the EU.

Skills development pays dividends

Andrew Mullins from Bord Bia will provide an update on how seafood is an integral part of the food portfolio in the Origin Green programme and how sustainability plans such as BIM’s Responsibly Sourced Standard are contributing to progress in this space.

Dr Joanne Fearon, programme manager in the school of Food and Nutritional Sciences at University College Cork, will show how investing in targeted skills and education in the agri-food sector pays dividends, with a focus on her experience in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Graduate Development Programme, which has provided industry specific training and development to 1,800 young researchers. To bring this into perspective, Olivia Slevin, who is assisting BIM, will present on the future changes planned to build the sector’s skills and training capability.

Barry Robinson from Deloitte will focus on how seafood companies can prepare and refocus business plans faced with competitive challenges including Brexit, while digital communications expert Wayne Denner will reveal how key technologies will enable seafood companies to access new markets and increase market share.

Before the conference, there will be a discussion on the potential implications of Brexit, hosted by Michael Creed, details of which have still to be confirmed.

More information can be found here.