An initiative to establish a bioeconomy throughout Ireland, utilising agricultural and marine resources sustainably, has been presented, supported by a €9 million fund. Launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, together with Andrew Muir, the Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Shared Island Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative aims to responsibly harness biological land and sea resources across industries such as agriculture, forestry, food processing, construction and packaging.
This scheme will experiment with opportunities arising from biomass recovered from terrestrial and marine regions on the whole island. The goal is to contribute to the creation of inventive, biobased items and solutions providing net positive impacts on climate and the environment.
According to McConalogue, the initiative may unveil novel protein sources, as well as fibres, nutrients and “bioactives”, allowing primary producers to diversify. It could also facilitate the recovery of food processing waste and help create “high-value biobased products” to bolster a circular food system.
He believes the bioeconomy could significantly enhance agri-food and marine sector’s environmental, economic, and social sustainability. It could open new avenues, introduce fresh bio-based goods and supply chains, and diminish the usage of fossil-based inputs.
The scheme encourages primary producers, businesses, and innovators to collaborate in showcasing practical, scalable bioeconomy solutions suitable for commercialisation across Ireland. Muir recognises it as a key opportunity for innovators to work together to illustrate bio-based innovation’s potential to bring about economic, environmental and social benefits and assist in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
As part of the Shared Island Initiative, the Irish Government has provided €7 million, supplemented by co-funding of €1.5 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and £0.5 million from Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
It will be necessary to cooperate across national lines and, to aid in this, InterTrade Ireland is backing both departments with support to aid applicants in establishing partnerships. They offer a digital platform that enables partnerships and also plan to host networking events in-person.
– We invite you to tune into our “Inside Politics Podcast” for current debates and insights
– Register for our push alerts and get top-notch news, reviews, and discussions sent straight to your mobile device
– Look for The Irish Times on WhatsApp and keep yourself informed.